A Certain Powerful Level 0
by Lucy Heart of Fairy Tail
Summary: Kamijou Touma knew he wasn't normal, he'd figured that out a long time ago. Normal or not, he's still just a normal High Schooler and Level 0. Except those in Academy City don't believe that.
1. Index Arc Part 1: Science Meets Magic

This is my take on a more powerful Kamijou Touma. I tried not to make him too OP, but meh, it is what it is. Hope you like it. I also kind of changed some of the timelines around, but that's what makes it so much fun. And you if you haven't seen the New Opening for To Aru Majutsu no Index III, trust me when I say, you will LOVE it. Though I still think they rushed some of the episodes in the new anime.

* * *

Kamijou Touma defines himself with just one word.

Unlucky.

Bad luck strikes when he leasts expects it, but nowadays he does expect it. Story of his life really, but unlike before, it doesn't bother him as much. Despite his constant bad luck, he got to meet some interesting people here in Academy City. Academy City, also known as Academy City of Science and Technology is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the Tokyo Metropolitan Employment Area. The city has a number of schools and institutions of higher learning from kindergarten to university level that learn side-by-side along with the scientists who research on psychic powers and higher technology. The technology here is actually 30 years ahead of its time, not only that but Academy City is also composed of 23 Districts, called school districts. This place is also a haven for those with abilities.

Espers.

Individuals who have the ability to use psychic abilities, such as Electrokenesis, Pyrokenesis, Teleportation, etc. Those with Esper abilities are ranked by level, from Level 0 to Level 5, and Academy City has produced 7 Level 5's. Kamijou is only a Level 0, but that's perfectly fine with him. If there's one thing he doesn't want, its to be ranked a Level 5 for it seems more troublesome than its worth. And despite how those of Skill Out despise their Level 0 status, he's fine with it. It means he's normal, even though the sad truth is, he's not. He will never be normal and he has to accept that, but that doesn't mean he'll stop trying to have a normal life. Even with his own ability, which has come into question by many scientists.

Imagine Breaker.

He's had it since birth, or so he believes, but that's all he has to go on. Its not an Esper ability. He knows what Imagine Breaker truly is...

For he's met its true form.

With a yawn, he stretched his arms above his head as it was currently night time and he was walking home by taking the bridge. He had just got done taking care of some thugs that were trying to hit on a Level 5, and not just any Level 5, but the Ranked #3 Level 5–Mikoto Misaka. He would have intervened but decided not to for he had to hurry and get home and get a strawberry cake he bought to his roommate. Unfortunately as stated before, bad luck strikes whether he expects it to or not. Just as he passed by the group of thugs and Mikoto Misaka a small rock had hit one in the back of the head. This made the thug angry of course, making him turn to the source, which just so happened to be him. He was still walking away when the thug called out to him, but decided to ignore the guy. Now what do thugs do when you ignore them? Come charging at you of course. When the guy was close enough he kicked him in the gut, sending him flying away from his buddies and Mikoto Misaka. Sighing, he made a move to leave again, but the others wouldn't allow that apparently. Seeing no other choice, he decided to end it.

And he did.

Once the thugs knew who he was they ran away quickly, and he wasted no time in leaving the area. Luckily the strawberry cake was unharmed. So now here he was, on his way to get home as quickly as possible...

If only things were ever that easy, especially for him.

With a sigh, he casually blocked an incoming electric attack. A sound of breaking glass was heard before he turned his attention towards his attacker, which was none other than Tokiwadai's Ace and 3rd Ranked Level 5–Mikoto Misaka. She wouldn't be the first Level 5 he ran into while living here in Academy City, the first one he ran into was pure coincidence, but he still keeps in contact with her till this day. It was a female who is Ranked 5th and he met another Level 5, who is also female, but she was Ranked 6th. So far, he's met only two Level 5's, both of who are female, yet here he is now meeting Mikoto Misaka, another female Level 5. He's starting to wonder if he somehow attracts them without even trying.

"Do you want something, Biri Biri?" He questioned the middle schooler.

Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance, "First of all, my name isn't 'Biri Biri,' its Mikoto Misaka!" She yelled, "And second of all, I didn't need your help in dealing with those guys back there."

"I wasn't helping you," he said tiredly, "They attacked me so in self-defense I attacked right back. Speaking of which, what did you do to the ones that ran away?"

"Oh, those guys? I just gave them a little shock that's all." She said dismissively, all the while a small spark of electricity ran through her brown hair.

"Overboard, aren't we?" He murmured. If there was a common thing among Level 5's, its that they have a tendency to go overboard with their abilities and have a few screws loose. Well...there were some exceptions, probably.

_'I better get going,'_ he thought, "Well, I'm heading off." He walked away casually with a slight wave.

"Yeah, see ya la—like hell I'm falling for that!" She shouted accusingly.

Kamijou sighed in slight annoyance. He really needed to get home and wasn't in the mood to deal with a short tempered Level 5.

"Level 5's really are troublesome." He murmured.

Somewhere else the ranked 5th Level 5 sneezed.

"Now that I've finally tracked you down, we've can finish that fight you bailed out on." She said.

"I'm not really in the mood, so can you just go back to your dorm already?" He asked nicely. Even if he asks her politely to leave him alone she'll just ignore him and try to attack him anyway.

"No way." She said in a too cheerful tone as sparks of electricity gathered around her body.

Kamijou had lost all patience with the girl and carefully set the item down, and away from him so they won't get damaged.

"A Level 5 picking a fight with a Level 0, what kind of message are you sending I wonder?" He questioned.

A bolt of lighting was his answer, so as a response to her attack he simply lifted his right arm and blocked it, like he did the last time they met, as a sound of glass breaking rang out loud.

"Hard to believe you're still claiming that after you keep stoping my electric attacks." She snarked. Him being a Level 0 was something she couldn't bring herself to believe, not with being able to block her electricity attacks like it was nothing. And he wasn't even serious in their last encounter.

"That's too bad." He said in an uncaring manner. It was always like this, no matter how many times he tells people he's a Level 0 they always have the same reaction. It was kind of annoying, "My ability lets me nullify any Esper ability targeted towards me."

"I still find it hard to believe you have an ability that nullifies other abilities, or the fact that you keep claiming to be a Level 0." Misaka said dryly as she prepared another electric attack, "Hey, do you know what a Railgun is?" She asked him out of the blue as she reached in her skirt and brought out an Arcade coin.

His eyebrow twitched, _'Is she seriously about to do what I think she's about to do?'_ He heard rumors about the famous Railgun, but to actually use it against someone like him? It was official, out of all of the Level 5's here in Academy City, she was by far the most short-tempered.

"Yeah, I've heard of it before." He answered with a groan. To think she would actually take it this far...oh, please of course she would take it this far. Didn't even know her that well and he'd already guessed she would use her famous Railgun on those who get on her nerves.

"Then I don't need to explain it!" She exclaimed, flicking the coin in the air as sparks of electricity coursed all through her body.

Kamijou simply watched the coin that was still in the air as he got ready to block the attack. In all honesty, he was a little curious to see her Railgun first hand, just didn't want it directed at him. He watched as it came back down and with a flick of her thumb she sent an orange beam at the black spiky haired boy. Not worried in the slightest, he lifted up his right arm as the Railgun hit it head on. The ground beneath him started forming cracks as he held his ground against the 3rd Ranked Level 5's signature attack. As the Railgun was still trying to hit its target, Kamijou began to close his right hand into a fist as the beam slowly dispersed and steam came from Kamijou's closed right fist.

He had to admit, despite not liking the Railgun attack being directed at him, it was still impressive to say the least. Such as the power of a Level 5. As he opened his right palm, he stared at the melted piece of metal that was still cooling down.

Misaka meanwhile stared in disbelief. There was no one here in Academy City who could block her Railgun, let alone what Kamijou just did. Not only did he block it, but he closed his fist around the origin of the beam and it looked like his hand and arm weren't even damaged.

_'But...how?'_ She continued to stare, _'That's not possible. How was he able to just block it and then close his fist around the coin like its nothing?'_

Kamijou ignored her bewildered look and walked over to the items he set down far away from the battlefield. He still had time to get home it seems, "I'm going back to my dorm, and you should probably do the same." with those parting words he calmly walked away as Mikoto Misaka still stood there in absolute shock.

Slowly Misaka approached the crater that Kamijou was standing in not too long ago. Bending down she reached out slowly to touch the piece of metal with caution. It felt like an eternity before she finally touched it and noticed that it wasn't hot anymore and had mostly cooled off, but that still didn't explain how he was able to do what he did.

"How...is this possible...?"

No one was around to answer her question, and even if they did, she wondered if she would even believe them.

* * *

"I'm back!" Kamijou announced as he arrived back at the Kamijou Residence located in District 7. It was a boys only dorm but there were exceptions where family members could stay and live with the boys that live in the dorms, like his best friend Tsuchimikado Motoharu's younger sister, Tsuchimikado Maika. And him and...

"Welcome home." A young voice said as the person hugged him on his way in the house.

Chuckling he stroked the person's head gently, "I'm back, Enshū."

Enshū was a cute girl who seems to be around middle school age, with black hair buns on both the sides. She was wearing a pink sweater, a miniskirt, and torn black stockings.

She wasn't his biological sister, like Maika who wasn't Tsuchimikado's biological sister either, she was adopted by him. Her original family name was 'Kihara,' but since he has a bloody feud with them for that shit they pulled on him back when he was in Middle School, he decided to give her his last name instead. Besides it sounded better anyway. Kamijō Enshū. Yep, sounded much better to him.

The Kihara Clan didn't really care about Enshū in the first place, much to his disgust, so they didn't put up a fight when it was decided she would live with him and become a member of his family. He contacted his parents back home and told them that they got a daughter and cried happy tears over the phone. They were the kind of parents that didn't care about one's background and simply accepted you for who you are. Must be where he got it from.

He lifted up the plastic bag, "Look what I got."

Enshū saw the plastic bag and instantly knew what it was. She smelled it the moment he walked through the door.

"Strawberry cake~!" Enshū had drool coming out of her mouth as she stared at the desert.

Kamijō smiled at the happy look on her face, "It was the last one, too. Let's have dinner first then you can eat it."

She nodded her head rapidly as she took the Strawberry cake and ran into the kitchen, much to Kamijō's amusement. How they met may have started off tragic, but the least he can do now, is make sure that they create new, happy memories with each other as siblings.

They sat down and had dinner with each other, and Kamijō talked about his day, making sure to leave out his encounter with Mikoto Misaka. He mentioned her once before and Enshū looked ready to hunt the girl down and destroy her. As he got ready for bed, only one thought went through his mind.

What sort of chaos will tomorrow bring?

Ask and you shall receive.

* * *

He was not amused. The unlucky Kamijō was no amused. When he woke up this morning he found out there was a citywide blackout caused by a powerful surge of electricity. Didn't take a genius to know it was Mikoto Misaka who caused it. What upset him is the fact that all of the food he had bought had spoiled, which would make anyone understandably angry. Now he had a lot of patience, but right now that patience was about to snap. How dare that girl cause the ultimate sin by making food go spoiled?! This will not go unpunished!

**PING!**

A noise from his phone alerted him that he just got a notification. Picking his phone up off the table he saw it was a notification of getting some money added to his account.

"Haaa..." he sighed.

Only the Academy Board Directors were capable of doing this. As much as he hated taking their dirty money, he saw it as a way for them to make up for all of the mess they put him through by not making sure a certain family didn't find out about him. He won't complain though, at least its enough for him and Enshū to eat.

"Let's go, Enshū!" He called out to the girl.

"I'm coming!" She was already dressed and ready to head off to school with him. Despite her possibly being middle school age, she was very smart, which is why she was going to the same high school as him. She's classified as a Level 0 like him, despite not being an Esper, she's also really strong, and her ability is an interesting one.

Ability: Gisu (Mimic)

The ability to mimic the thought and combat patterns of just about anyone. She's probably already done it with some, if not all of her family members. How she does is this can be considered complicated to any other person if she were to explain it to them as though it were no big deal. Here's how she's able to do it, by using the gadgets she carries around with her, she's able to display graphs and other information that displays one or more particular thought pattern. So, yeah, you should never underestimate her just because of how she looks.

"All set?"

"Yes."

They left the dorm room without seeing an individual wearing white clothing fall and land and hang off of the balcony.

**Location: A Certain High School**

A Certain High School.

A school located on a hill, and one needs to climb an inclination and a number of steps to reach its main entrance. The establishment is just like your normal run of the mill Japanese-style school building. The school has a large main building, towering several stories and with several other buildings surrounding the main one. Like any standard Japanese school, they have lockers for the students, parking space for the staff, a faculty room, a cafeteria, and an auditorium, and the roofs are apparently accessible to any student in the school.

Kamijō loves this school because it holds many interesting people and classmates. His two friends go here, too along with his sister, so its not all bad. His grades were average, just the way he likes it. There were some bumps here and there because of his lack of ability, but at least he wasn't failing or teetering on the edge. Enshū's really smart when it comes to science, so she's pretty much the top student in their grade, and because of her cute like appearance and child like innocence, she's become a favorite of the girls. Some boys like her, too but with a scary older brother they don't try anything, but once in awhile there's always someone...

"Kami-yan, morning!" Aogami greeted, skipping towards the siblings. His blue hair makes him standout including that pierced ear of his. Many of his classmates debated as to whether or not it was natural, but it was best to just leave that up to the imagination. Kamijō met Aogami back when he was in middle school and was going through his 'vicious rebellious phase' as he calls it. He didn't understand how, but they just somehow clicked and have been tight ever since. But there's another thing about him that he has to deal with when it comes to him...and that's...

"Ah, Enshū-chan, good morning~!" Aogami calls out to the girl as he tries to give her a hug, only to find a fist to the gut. He fell forward as Kamijō stood over him. Despite Aogami being a pretty cool guy, he's also a self-admitted pervert, lolicon, stalker, and masochist as well as numerous other fetishes, to the point where he is labeled as "Fetish King."

"Good morning, Aogami, how's your morning going?" Kamijō said nicely, but you can see the slight menacing aura around him. No male was allowed to touch his sister, but him. He was the only one allowed to give her a hug, hold her hand, and whatever else she wants.

"What a show of loving protection from Kami-yan-nii-chan, nya!" Tsuchimikado burst into the scene. Unlike Aogami, Kamijō met Tsuchimikado during their first year of high school. The blonde knows about his younger sisters origins and didn't say anything about it, but did give him a warning. Always looking out for him.

"I don't wanna hear that from a Siscon like you." Kamijō said dryly.

"Its not a crime to love one's sister!" Tsuchimikado proclaimed.

"Yes, yes, just make sure you keep it PG-13." Kamijō said, taking his seat as his sister say behind him.

Aogami chose that time to wake up, "Siscon? Hmph, foolish! Everyone know that Lolicon's tromp Siscons!"

"Say what?!" Tsuchimikado exclaimed, "You wanna bet on that?!"

"I will!"

Kamijō sighed with a smile. Its best to leave the whole 'Sister' debate to these guys. He stared out the window waiting for their teacher to arrive, and her appearance has been much to debate about, and even been rumored about, too.

Just as he was thinking about her, the door opened and in came their Sensei. Their Sensei was at the height of only 135 centimeters, pink hair and eyes, as well as her fondness to wearing cute and childish outfits, most people see Komoe as a 12 year old child. It doesn't help that she acts childish, too. Her real age is unknown, and he'd be stupid to try and ask her.

This was their sensei—Tsukuyomi Komoe.

"Good morning! Everyone take your seats." Komoe-sensei said as she walked in the classroom, "Let's start class."

Enshū promptly blushed at their sensei, "Moe-sensei."

"Nice, Enshū-cha—!" A chop to the head cut him off, courtesy of none other than Kamijō.

"Stop trying to corrupt Enshū." He said sternly.

Komoe-sensei pouted, "Kamijō-chan, no violence!"

"Any attempted corruption against my sister deserves divine punishment." He stated unapologetically.

"Kami-yan wants to keep Enshū-chan all to himself, nya~" Tsuchimikado smirked.

"Obviously." Kamijō admitted without shame.

"So openly?!" The whole class exclaimed.

Komoe's pout got even cuter, "Mou, everyone please listen to your sensei!"

Yeah, in terms of school with the best atmosphere, nothing could ever beat A Certain High School.

* * *

The two siblings were now heading back to the dorm after another day at school. But before they could head back, Kamijō needed to head to the supermarket to pick up some groceries to make up for the spoiled food. With the shopping all finished it was time to head back to the dorm to put the food up. When they put all the food up they went back outside to go eat out at their favorite place, Julian Restaurant.

They weren't even half way there when all of a sudden Enshū grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into an alley. With a confused expression he was about to ask her what was wrong, but didn't need to as he saw Mikoto Misaka pass right by them after she stopped to look around, almost as though she were looking for someone (probably him). Ah, so that's why his sister dragged him into the alley, she didn't want Misaka to notice them. His sister really couldn't stand Mikoto Misaka, but as for why that was, he had no idea.

With the destructive middle schooler gone they were back on their way to their favorite hangout spot, but stopped again when they noticed someone with odd clothing on the ground, facedown. The individual was small in stature, has a petite build. The face down individual was wearing a white nun's outfit, which made Kamijō believe this person might be a cosplayer.

Enshū poked the person and soon enough there was movement.

"Hungry..." the person groaned, the voice sounded feminine.

He sighed knowing that he couldn't just leave a young girl here to starve, and since they were close enough to the restaurant anyway.

...

This girl's a bottomless pit. Never before had he'd seen anyone eat as much as her. Can't really blame the girl though, poor thing must've gone hungry for god knows how long.

"Is it good?" He asked.

She stopped only to nod before going right back to eating. Her cheeks were getting stuffed that she looked like a chipmunk. It was almost cute.

He and Enshū had already finished eating and were now just watching her eat. Money was no longer an issue because the Academy Board Directors were sending him compensation money.

The mysterious girl finally finished eating and addressed them, "Thank you so much for your kindness! I don't know what I would do if you hadn't come around!"

"No problem, you looked like you hadn't eaten anything in a while." Kamijō said.

"Full now?" Enshū asked.

"Very full! Oh, I apologize for my rudeness, but my name is Index Librorum Prohibitorum, but you can just call me Index!" Index introduced herself.

_'What_ _a_ _long_ _name.'_ He thought, "Nice to meet you, my names Kamijō Tōma and this is my sister Kamijō Enshū."

"Hello." Enshū greeted.

"Nice to meet you both!" Index smiled.

Kamijō eyed her clothing, as well as silver hair and eye color. She's definitely a foreigner, and he suspected she didn't get here through normal means either.

"You're a foreigner, aren't you?" He asked her bluntly.

The visible flinch confirmed it.

"Y-yes, I am..." she looked away from them nervously.

"Its okay, we're not gonna rat you out or anything, but we would like to know how it is you got here all by yourself and without a guardian." He said.

Index looked down before taking a deep breath and looking back at them, "It is true that I am a foreigner, and I'm also a Nun in training for the Anglican Church. I was born and raised in St. George's Cathedral and I was given a task by the church, which is the reason why I came here."

"What task is that?"

"The task they gave me was to be the holder of 103,000 grimoires, the reason I was chosen for this is because I have Perfect Memory. Once I see something for the first time, I never forget it." she said seriously.

"Impressive." He commented.

"The grimoires I posses hold many magical knowledge that if in the wrong hands could be disastrous. I came here because I'm on the run from those who would want to take it for themselves." She finished explaining.

"Magical knowledge? You mean like actual magic?" He asked just to make sure he was hearing her right.

She pouted, "You don't believe me?"

"Its not that," he waved off her accusation, "Its just that this is the first time someone's mentioned magic here in Academy City, plus you look so serious when you mentioned magical knowledge that I can't claim you're lying in our faces." He said honestly.

Enshū nodded, "Magic sounds cool."

Index beamed.

"But on another note, you said you came here because you were on the run, right? If you need a place to hide out we'd be happy to help." He told her.

Her expression changed, "Then...would you accompany me to the depths of hell?"

Okay...not what he was expecting, but...

"I'm not interested in descending into hell, but I'd be more than willing to drag you out of it." He answered.

Judging by the look on her face she wasn't expecting him to say that, but like he said before.

He couldn't just ignore someone who obviously needed help.

And he would help this girl for a very simple reason...

She had the same expression as he did when he first came here to Academy City.

* * *

He and Enshū parted with Index after giving her directions to his dorm and what number it was. She took the piece of paper and left, but not before bowing and thanking them for the food once again. The two siblings were now just walking around the city, with Enshū looking around every five minutes to make sure Mikoto Misaka wasn't skulking around, looking for him.

He needed to ask why she disliked Misaka so much.

The sun was tarting to set and he decided that it was time for them to head back.

"Do you think we'll see her again?" Enshū asked suddenly.

He thought about it, "Maybe, I think we will."

"Okay."

"You really like her, don't you?"

She nodded.

"Yet you don't like Mikoto Misaka?"

She frowned with disdain.

"Right, gotcha."

Something must've happened between the two of them that he wasn't aware of. Best let sleeping dogs lie.

As they returned to the dorm, both of them spotted Index on the ground, surrounded by cleaning bots in front of their apartment door. How odd.

Enshū was by her side instantly with Kamijō not too far behind her. He bent down and saw her white clothes were now stained with the color red. Turning her over slowly, he saw that she was indeed bleeding.

"She's bleeding a lot." He stated.

Enshū's was face, which was laced with worry soon became serious as a man approached them. Kamijō stared at the man and his strange attire. His hair was red in color and hanging on his shoulders, wearing what appeared to be a black priest robe and has a silver ring on each of his ten fingers, earrings on both ears, and a barcode tattoo under his right eye.

"Good evening." The man greeted with a smirk.

Kamijō stood before his sister and the unconscious Index, "Who are you?"

"My name is Stiyl Magnus, a magician." Stiyl introduced.

_'So he's a magician.'_ this is his first time encountering a magician, "Are you the one who did this to Index?"

"That's right."

"I see."

His nonchalant attitude about intentionally giving a girl serious injuries rubbed him the wrong way.

"Although, we might have overdone it a bit, but I was curious to see her come here instead of trying to runaway again." Stiyl explained, "Strange she was this injured when her clothes, the Walking Church are supposed to protect her from serious injuries."

He didn't remember touching Index when they first encountered her, but that wasn't important right now.

"Did you attack her because of the 103,000 grimoires?" He guessed.

The man's eyes narrowed, "And how do you know that?"

"Who knows?" Kamijō shrugged.

Stiyl was unamused by the answer, "I see...then I'll just have to force it out of you." Fire was instantly summoned around Stiyl as Kamijō stares at the display of fire.

"If you hadn't introduced yourself as a magician just now I would have sworn you were using Pyrokenesis." He commented.

"Heh, well I can assure you I'm not." Stiyl uses the flames to attack the boy.

Kamijō simply lifted his right arm and blocked the magic attack and was left unscathed, much to Stiyl's surprise.

"What...?"

"Huh, so it can affect magic, too? That's useful to know." Kamijō commented as he stood there calmly.

_'Was that a fluke?'_ Stiyl tries again but like before Kamijō lifted his right arm and nullified it, _'So I'm not imagining it. He's seriously able to nullify my fire magic!'_

"Hey, not trying to sound condescending, but do you have something else up your sleeve?" Kamijō asked.

Stiyl's eyebrow twitched at the question but responded in his own way:

_"One of the five great elements from which the world is constructed."_

_"The great flame of the beginning."_

_"It is a light of blessing that raises life and a light of judgment that punishes evil."_

_"It is overflowing with calm blessings and with freezing misfortune that destroys cold darkness."_

_"Its name is fire and its role is the sword."_

_"Be manifested and become the power that eats into my body!"_

**_"King of Witch Hunters: Innocentius!"_**

Stiyl proceeded to summon a giant flame monster with a very high temperature. Judging by how hot it was getting and his surroundings looked like they were about to burn the walls. Kamijō had to give the guys credit, this was pretty damn cool...only...

"Kill him." Stiyl ordered.

Innocentius came at the still boy who didn't move an inch until the thing came closer, and when it did...he promptly smashed it into oblivion.

Stiyl's eyes widened, "He smashed it...? That's not possible! The runes I have hidden around here should prevent it from being destroyed!"

Kamijō lifted up his head and smile, but it didn't match his eyes, "I've gotta admit, that was pretty cool...except..." he was then in front of a shocked and still Stiyl before proceeding to smash his face into the ground with his right arm, "YOU ALMOST BURNT THIS PLACE DOWN, YOU PYRO-MANIAC!" He yelled at the unconscious mage. Honestly, using something like that, there was no way in hell he was letting this place be burned by some stylish mage.

"You okay?" he asked Enshū.

"I'm okay, but what should we do now?" She questioned while still holding onto Index.

"First we should get out of here and take her some place to get hr injures treated," he said, "Taking her to the hospital will be all sorts of troublesome."

"Agreed."

* * *

They bolted just in time because Anti-Skill had just barricaded the perimeter around their apartment. Currently, they had Index laid down on a bench where she woke up, but not acting like her usual self. She explained how she was still Index, just that she was John's Pen Mode. It was some sort of defense mode according to her words. He asked if she had any healing magic, and she calmly explained that if she has any magic books stored inside her head his ability would just negate it, and he would be unable to do it anyway. She then explained that the grimoire's she had been talking about were all planted in her head, and that she was a vessel to keep them stored in.

She then went on to explain how Magic isn't meant for Espers (yeah, tell that to Tsuchimikado) and that it was intended for people who wanted the abilities like those of espers. That's all interesting and all, but they still needed to get her to someone...wait a minute. There is someone who might be able to help.

**Location: Tsukuyomi Komoe's Apartment**

Enshū politely knocked on the door while Kamijō had Index on his back.

"Yes, yes, yes. I've strengthened the door as a countermeasure against newspaper salespersons. I'll open the door now." The door was opened and Kamijō couldn't help but find his sensei's pink bunny pajamas adorable. For someone who complains about being treated as a child she sure does like wearing clothes that make her look like one.

"Ah, Kamijō-chan, Enshū-chan! Did you two start working part-time at a newspaper office?" She questioned.

He gave her a dry look, "What kind of newspaper salesperson does their job by carrying a sister on his back? We need your help with something, so we're just coming in, sensei," and with that he walked right in without her permission, "Yep, coming in."

"Coming in." Enshū copied.

"Wai-wai-wai-wait..." Komoe protests, "This is troubling for sensei!"

Walking in, he noticed what a complete dump her place was. There were beer cans everywhere along with cigarette buds. So she was messy in her private life it seems.

Komoe tried to clean up her best as best she could, "I know it's weird to be saying this now but...do you dislike women that smoke?"

Instead of answering her question, Kamijō placed Index down on the tatami mat, with Enshū sitting close to him as she stared down at Index. Komoe approached the girl.

"Who is this girl?" She asked.

Before any explanation could be given, Index's body glowed as her eyes opened. Kamijō noticed that her usual vibrant green eyes had gone dull, meaning she was in John's Pen Mode again.

"What in the world?!" Komoe exclaimed in surprise.

"Warning, critical condition," Index's voice even changed. It went from vibrant to mechanical, "Please follow my instructions carefully."

Kamijō got up, "Sensei, please look after both Index and Enshū."

"Eh, where are you going at this time of night?" She questioned.

"If I stay here then my ability will just negate what she's trying to do. I'll be back soon." He promised as he closed the door behind him. Stretching his arms above his head a serious expression showed on his features, "Time for a walk." He left his sensei's house as a pair of eyes were watching him leave. On a tower that overlooks the city, stood a woman with long hair, holding a long sword, observing his every movement.

* * *

**+Index Arc Part 2: Saint of Necessarius+**


	2. Index Arc Part 2: Saint of Necessarius

I'm kinda going out of order with certain events, but its just more fun that way!

* * *

Kamijō was walking around the city at night as Index was hopefully being healed by his teacher. He asked Enshū to stay behind as a precaution just in case that red headed magician tried attacking his sensei's apartment. With Index currently being healed and his sensei, having no combat experience what so ever, Enshū was the best case scenario right now. That guy, Stiyl said that he wasn't alone, meaning he has a partner running around here with him that was also trying to hunt Index down. Honestly, magicians sound more troublesome than Espers if that's even possible.

**RING! RING!**

A little startled he took his phone out of his pocket and looked to see who was calling him. With a smile, he answered the phone.

"Hey, its been awhile, how are you?" He asked.

...

He chuckled, "Yeah, somehow I'm not surprised you found out about my apartment almost being burnt to the ground."

...

"I'm walking around the city for a little bit because of...certain problems. I'm staying with my sensei for the time being, so I'll return in the morning."

...

"I'll be fine, Skill Out won't try to attack the infamous "Blue-Eyed Dragon." He joked. While he was joking about the title that was given to him in Middle School it was still true for even now in the underworld he's still being called that.

...

He sighed, "Can't argue with you there, by the way, can you explain to me why a certain fellow Level 5 from your school is severely hated by my sister?"

...

"Is that so? You know but you won't tell, huh? Fine, so how are things with them? Have they tried anything funny since they kidnapped me and almost used me as one of their lab rats?" He questioned with slight venom in his voice.

...

"Figures, that whole family save for Enshū and two other relatives are beyond salvation. Do they have anymore labs up and running?" He asked.

...

"Not surprising, anyway I'm gonna go walk across the bridge for a little bit, so I'll talk to you soon." He said.

...

"Thank you for your concern, but you make sure to take care of yourself too, okay?"

...

"Good, talk to you soon, bye." He ended the call with a smile before a frown took over his facial features. He feels a little bad getting his sensei involved in this after she took such good care of him when he first came here along with Yomikawa-sensei. Hopefully she won't ask too many questions. Its bad enough his adoptive sister is involved, even though he swore he'd make sure she would have a happy, normal life. But things don't always go the way he wants them, too.

They never do.

* * *

By morning he was back at his sensei's place and Index was now wearing that pink bunny pajama his sensei was wearing last night. After having some fun with Komoe-sensei leaving to go get them something for lunch and possibly dinner, Index went on to explain more about magic and everything else.

"The Christians were originally all united as one, but why do you think they have split up into so many different churches?" Index questions.

Kamijō thought about it, "Politics?"

"Yes, they brought politics into religion. They split, opposed each other, and chose various paths of their own..." he explained, "...even though they all believe in the same God..."

_'Believe in the same God...'_ he thought.

"All of them have evolved in their own way and gained their own "personality."

"Personality..."

"The English Purist Church that I belong to..." She hesitated to say before continuing on, anyway, "Since England is a country of magic, witch hunts and inquisitions, this kind of anti-magician culture developed in extraordinary manners. That is why the English Purist Church has a special division. In order to defeat magicians, this division has researched magic and devised strategies against them. It is called the church of necessary evil, "Necessarius."

"Necessarius?" Kamijō questioned.

"But, in order to understand an impure enemy, our own hearts will become impure. Coming in contact with an impure enemy, our body will become impure. It is a division that gathers all the impurities in one spot. And the greatest impurity of all is—" she was cut off as Enshū placed a brand new wet cloth over her forehead.

"Those 103,000 grimoires..." Kamijō guessed right on the money. To find out that magic is real was one thing, but that Church's have their own set of magicians to fight for them was something in it of itself.

"Yes. Magic is like a formula. If one can successfully reverse engineer it, one can even neutralize an adversary's attack. If one knows all the magic in the world, one will be able to neutralize all the magic in the world. So the 103,000 grimoires were—"

"—jammed into your brain." He finished.

Index nodded.

He leaned back against the window, "And I'm guessing that you can't just burn these books to make them go away?"

"What's important isn't the book itself but the content. Even if the original is destroyed, it would be meaningless if it were passed down through oral tradition. Besides, humans are unable to destroy the originals. The human mind is unable to, to be exact." She explained, "They had no choice but to seal them off because they couldn't do anything."

So, basically...

"In other words, that red haired magician is one of the people that's after the content of the grimoires in your head, right?" He pretty much guessed it when he went up against Stiyl.

"With these 103,000 grimoires, one can absolutely be able to distort the entire world."

He rubbed his temples, "But still...to cram all of those grimoires inside your head..." there were no words to describe what he was feeling right now, anger was probably one of them, along with rage.

Enshū gave Index a hug. It was something Index wasn't prepared for, "Don't worry, Index is our friend. We protect our friends."

Index was touched by her words and hugged the girl back with tears leaking from her eyes. Kamijō watched the scene with a slight smile before turning his head sideways towards the window. They were pretty far, but he could still sense them. Two people. Watching them.

_'One_ _of them must be Stiyl...don't know who the other person is_ _though...'_

As he confirmed for himself, two individuals were indeed watching them. One of them was indeed Stiyl, while the other was the very same woman who was watching him last night. The woman was 170 centimeters in height, with long black hair tied up in a ponytail that reaches her hips. She was wearing short white T-shirt tied into a knot at the bottom, revealing her belly button; her jeans have one pants leg cut off to be very short. She was also carrying around a two-meter-long nodachi blade.

"How's Index?" The female onlooker asked.

"She's alive." Stiyl reported.

"I've researched the background of the two teenagers accompanying her." She said.

"So, what's his ability and what about that girl he's with?" Stiyl questioned.

"There was some information being kept hidden, particularly about his ability, but to say the least, he is not a magician or even a supernatural power user." She confirmed.

Stiyl huffed, "Are you going to tell me he's just a normal high-schooler?" He brought out a light, lighting up a cigarette and put it in his mouth, "Give me a break. This world wasn't created easy enough for some amateur with no powers to be to dispatch Innocentius."

"That is true. But, his combat ability proves he knows how to handle himself well." She said.

"Perhaps there is an intentional blackout on his information? And Index's wounds were actually healed through magic." It was strange that such serious wounds were able to heal overnight, "Kanzaki, do other magic societies exist in this Far East?"

"If they were moving inside this Academy City, some should at least be detected by the institution's antennae. Enemy forces are unknown. We have no backup." Kanzaki stated emotionlessly.

"She seems really happy." Stiyl says out of nowhere.

Kanzaki looked at him in mild surprise.

"She really does." He repeated, "She's been leading a happy life. How much longer do we have to keep tearing and ripping that up?"

"Is it a perplexing emotion for you? You, who have been in that place in the past." She replied.

He scoffed, "It's the same as always."

* * *

Komoe-sensei came back from the Supermarket, but didn't ask any questions about Index or about the fact that magic exists. She simply decided to forget. That was a good thing, for he really owed this woman for looking after him in the past, even though he was a little terror.

Night came quickly, so the Kamijō siblings decided to take Index to the bathhouse for the first time. She was walking happily, singing a little song, as she did, too.

"You look happy." He commented.

Index turned and face him with a smile, "Mm! I'm really happy, Tōma! Enshū!"

"Komoe-sensei probably told you some stuff about Japanese culture, right? I know for a fact that England doesn't have stuff like bathhouses." Kamijō said.

Index hummed, "I don't really know."

"Why not?" He asked.

She looked ahead of her, "Because, I was in Japan before I realized it. I'm not really sure about anything in England."

"Huh, is that so?" He said.

"I was born in London and apparently was brought up inside St. George's Church. I've told you that part already, but what I didn't tell you is that I came here about a year ago, I think." She said.

"You think?" Enshū talked this time.

"Yeah, because my memories keep disappearing." She said casually.

Kamijō didn't say anything but he wondered if her memory loss was the result of being forced to hold all those books inside her head.

"When I first awakened, I didn't even know who I was. I couldn't even recall what I ate the night before, but I knew about magicians, Index, Necessarius...knowledge like that kept popping up...I was really scared..." She confessed.

"And you don't know what's causing this memory loss?" Kamijō questioned.

"Yup!"

Memory loss...

She knew some information, but not all of it.

_'I wonder...If I were to touch her head with my right hand would her—oh, we're still being watched, in that case.'_ He leaned over towards his sister and whispered something in her ear. With a nod, she went up to Index and told her that they would be going to bathhouse alone, while he went back to go get something.

As he left, he purposely went into a District that would receive all kinds of damage and no one could care to report about it until a few days later. No sooner had he thought of that, he instantly took notice that there was no one in sight, they had simply vanished. He also noticed it was a little darker, too.

"Like a closed space." he commented with both hands in his pockets, as he stood in the middle of the street.

"It's just a rune." Kanzaki said, walking behind him.

"Rune?" He turned his head slightly towards her.

"A rune that removed all people from here." She explained.

He turned to face her fully, "That's a convenient thing to have. You must be another magician, right?"

"Kanzaki Kaori is my name." She introduced.

"Kamijō Tōma, nice to meet you." He responded in kind, "Oh, this is the second time I've told my name to a magician, well, whatever. I just wanna make sure, but you are with that fire magician named Stiyl, right?"

"That's correct."

"How's his jaw? I did clock him pretty hard."

"He is fine."

"Good to hear."

"I will get straight to the point. I wish to secure that girl before I mention my magic name." She said straightforwardly.

"And if I refuse?"

She closed her eyes, "Then I have no choice," she said grabbing her blade, "I'll just need to state my name, then secure her." Unsheathing her blade she shows her power before him, cutting something from behind him, possibly a wind mill blade, but he stood there unfazed as he looked at what she did.

"That's pretty cool, I think its better than Stiyl's, meaning you're stronger than him, right?" He asked.

Kanzaki was confused as to why he was still so calm, "That's right. I will repeat myself. I wish to secure that girl...before I mention my magic name."

"Sorry, but I can't do that. My sister really likes Index, so I'm afraid you'll have to go back empty handed." He told her calmly.

Kanzaki prepared her blade again "I will repeat myself as many times as necessary." She sent another pulse of wind with blades in them, this time at Kamijō, who once again stood there calmly. The blades passed by him harmlessly, as if they were one final warning.

"I don't mean to be rude, but if you're trying to scare me its not exactly working." This was Academy City, he's been involved in way too many things here in this city to be scared off by a sword wielding magician girl's attack, "By the way, is that guy, or should I say kid, hanging around here by any chance?" He was referring to Stiyl.

Kanzaki's eyes widened as did a hidden Stiyl.

"I'll take that as a yes, don't worry I'm not gonna try and attack him. I've already fought him." He assured her, "By the way, what's the name of that attack you just did?"

Kanzaki didn't know how to process the boy before her. He wasn't even fazed by what she did, nor was he frightened. Refusing to back down, she explained her special attack, "The speed of the slash wreathed by my Shichiten Shichitou (Seven Heaven Seven Swords), Nanasen (Seven Flashes), kills someone seven times over in a time period we refer to as a "split second." I wouldn't think it's wrong to call it "certain death."

"That does sound powerful." He complimented.

"I have received the report from Stiyl. For some reason, your right hand can neutralize magic. But wouldn't that mean that as long as you don't touch it with your right hand, you wouldn't be able of doing that?" She guessed.

He shrugged, "You're not entirely inaccurate...a little close even." He muttered.

"What?"

With a shake of his head he brought his attention back to her, "Nothing. Anyway, let's get this started!" He charged at her at incredible speeds.

"Nanasen (Seven Flashes)." She sent 7 wires, which can split into thousands surrounded Kamijō pretty much bounced off him, much to her shock as she was not expecting it. She also didn't expect a punch to the gut, sending her flying away from him as she damaged the concrete from sitting herself upright as she planted her feet on the ground.

_'Impossible! There's not a single scratch on him?!'_ She stared flabbergasted at the uninjured Kamijō.

Stiyl had the same reaction, _'What the hell...?! Kanzaki's a Saint! Yet, this guy went through her attack like nothing and even landed a hit on her!'_

Kamijō walked over to her calmly, "Sorry about that, but since you're so serious I figured I should get serious, too."

Kanzaki, who was down on one knee stood up slowly, "It seems I've underestimated you. My apologies."

"I'm pretty much used to it, being a Level 0 and all." He waved off her apology.

"Wha...?" Kanzaki gasped.

"Did he just say he was a Level 0?" Stiyl's eyes were literally bulging out of his head.

"Huh? You mean...you didn't know...?" He questioned nervously.

Since it was still so quiet, the answer would be 'no.' Okay, then.

"Well, it doesn't matter, right? Let's continue." He said, cracking his knuckles.

Kanzaki didn't need to be told twice, "Nanasen (Seven Flashes)!" She tried to attack again with the same wires but he did something different than just charging at her.

"Chikyū Ryū no Ken (Fist of the Earth Dragon)!" Slamming his right fist into the ground, the ground beneath Kanzaki opened up as a yellow light engulfed her and half the area around her as a crack split horizontally before her. He stood up and noticed the damaged he caused and also saw that Kanzaki was mostly okay, though she was dirty now and the buildings around her had collapsed because of his own special attack. Back when his grandfather was still alive (may he rest in peace), the man had taught him in the ways of Ryūken (Dragon Fist), which he found to be ironic considering what the 'Invisible Thing' connected to Imagine Breaker resembled.

Kanzaki used her sword to help her up as she used it to block off the special attack Kamijō used. It was far more destructive than her Nanasen (Seven Flashes)! And he claims to be a Level 0?! A Level 0 wouldn't be capable of a feat such as this!

Stiyl was literally gaping like a fish at what he just saw. Kanzaki is knows as the most powerful mage in London, yet here this kid, claiming to be a Level 0 is fighting her on equal ground! All of those 'Classified' stamps under certain information he was trying to find about the kid now makes sense. He must be someone valuable to Academy City for them to have that many classified stamps in his profile.

Kamijō got into a stance as he faced her again, "You okay, can you keep going?"

Stiyl's eyebrow twitched, _'Bastard doesn't even look tired...'_

Kanzaki stood up got ready to attack him again, and Kamijō was ready. Neither moved as they stared each other down. Both moved at the same time, this time Kanzaki simply striked by simply swinging her sheathed blade, while Kamijō threw a fist. Both attacks collided, creating a powerful aftershock that caused every window to the buildings around them to shatter as the impact was too much to handle. Fist met blade head on in hand to hand combat before both occupants pushed away from each other.

"Yuisen (Single Flash)!" This attack infuses Kanzaki's sword with magic as she charged at Kamijō.

"Ryūken: Saisho no Keishiki (Dragon Fist: First Form)!" His fist was infused with blue and black energy as his fist collided with Kanzaki's magic infused sword, creating another aftershock that almost sent Stiyl flying from his position.

_'This is insane! How the hell can a Level 0 fight on equal grounds with a Saint?! Just what the hell is his ability?!'_ Stiyl thought furiously.

Kamijō and Kanzaki stood a few steps from each other once more. While Kanzaki had some injuries and some dirt on her clothes, Kamijō looked to be in top form, and had no injuries on him what-so-ever, not only that, but his clothes were fine, too.

"Now that I think about it, I never did tell you my ability did I?" He said suddenly.

Both mages eyes widened as he was finally ready to reveal his ability to them.

"My ability is called...Imajin Bureikā (Imagine Breaker)." He revealed.

"Imagine Breaker?" Both mages uttered.

"Its the name of my ability, it lets me negate anything supernatural from Esper powers to Magic Powers now, too. I've had this ability for a long time." He explained.

Kanzaki's eyes widened, "An ability that negates all other abilities, including supernatural...?"

"Such an ability actually exists...?" Stiyl was floored with the revelation as well.

"That's right," Kamijō appeared in front of Kanzaki, just like he did with Stiyl. Before she could react he punched her right in the gut with his right hand, making her cough out spit. He kept his right hand firmly planted in her stomach, "You weren't wrong earlier. My ability originated in my right hand, but that was back when I was a kid. As soon as I got here and started learning how to control it...it started to spread all over my body like some kind of disease. Also...nah, I kinda wanna keep some more secrets about it to myself...sorry." She ceased movement as he apologized and gently placed her on the ground. He still didn't know what Kanzaki and Stiyl's connection to Index was, but he'll find out soon, but that depends on the two of them.

"Hey, Stiyl! Think you can let me out of here, now?!" He called out to the fire magician.

Stiyl, seeing no choice but to comply did just that. Kamijō was brought back to reality and walked away from the area, "If you wanna talk about what's really going on with Index then let me know." With those parting words, he headed straight for his sensei's apartment.

The fire magician had the knocked out Kanzaki in his arms as he stared at the Level 0's back.

"A Level 0 with an ability that negates other abilities...what could this mean?" He wondered.

* * *

He arrived back at his sensei's residence, "I'm bac—"

"Tōma!" Index cried, coming out of nowhere to hug him with his sister standing right behind her before she also gave him a hug.

"Hey, why aren't you two asleep, yet?" He questioned with a raised brow.

Index looked up at him with tear stained eyes, "We were so worried about you! Enshū-chan said that you had something to take care of and wouldn't tell me what it was!"

He rubbed her head in a soothing manner, "I'm fine, don't worry about me. Did you guys eat yet?"

"No, not yet." Enshū said.

"Then, lets eat!" He declared.

"Food~!" Index cheered.

Kamijō couldn't help but smile at her cheerful mood, yet in the back of his mind he was still remembering what Index said about her losing her memories, which he knew had to be connected to those grimoires. If those two mages ever feel like talking instead of trying to attack him again then he would be more than happy to know what he should do to help Index.

* * *

With last night behind them, Kamijō and Enshū decided to go to the Seventh Mist Mall to get some new clothes for his sister, and possibly Index if she ever wants to wear them. Index decided to stay behind with Komoe-sensei and hang out with the woman.

Hopefully Stiyl and Kanzaki won't try to attack the two of them, but something told him they won't try anything during the daytime. As the two siblings arrived at the mall they instantly went into a store. Enshū practically dragged him towards different clothing lines with stars in her eyes. She was excited and couldn't decide what she wanted to get.

He smiled the whole time as she was browsing through the clothing area, trying to find the perfect set of clothes. This is what he wanted for her, to be a normal girl and have a normal life. Well...with his bad luck attraction its not so normal, but its something.

"Geh!"

Geh? Wait...that voice...

Turning his head to the side, he saw Mikoto Misaka standing in front of a mirror, holding a pair of what looked like pink pajamas in her hands with childlike prints on them. Inwardly he snorted, it suited her. She was flushed with embarrassment, probably thinking no one would see her holding the pink pajama prints.

"W-What are you doing here?!" She demanded, still flushed with embarrassment.

"Shopping." He said simply.

"I can see that, idiot!" She yelled.

"Then why did you bother to ask me?" He wondered if she acted like this all the time, or is it just with him. Arms wrapped around his right arm. He saw it was Enshū, who was just staring at the Level 5 Electromaster, but he could tell his sister was glaring at her.

A sigh escaped his lips, "Such misfortune."

"Wha?! Whose this?!" She demanded as she turned her focus from him to Enshū.

"My sister. This is Enshū." He introduced since he knew the girl wasn't going to do it herself.

"Sister? You have a sister?" She asked in disbelief.

"Yes I do, as you can obviously see." He said.

Enshū meanwhile kept staring at Misaka, she really was glaring at the girl, but through the art of staring.

"Flat-chested." She said at the girl

It took everything in his power not to snort and laugh at his sister's sudden insult of Mikoto Misaka. It got so bad he had to look away and cover his mouth with his hand, so he wouldn't laugh in her face.

Misaka meanwhile's whole face was bright red as she held her chest, "W-W-What does that have to do with anything?! And, what's with you?!"

Enshū merely tugged on Kamijō's arm and pulled him away, "Let's go this way." She said, walking away from an embarrassed and confused Mikoto Misaka.

"Hey!" She called out.

Kamijō sighed as he let his sister drag him away from the Tokiwadai student, "Did you really have to comment on her chest size?"

"Yes." She replied instantly.

"That quick of a response?" Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a frail looking boy wearing glasses, holding what appeared to be a green stuffed animal that almost looked like Gekota, the mascot.

_'That guy...'_

"What's wrong?" Enshū questioned.

His eyes lingered on the boy's retreating form, "I've got a bad feeling. Looks like our shopping will be interrupted."

Just then there was an announcement.

_"Attention all customers, a malfunction of an electrical nature has arisen inside the store, so while we apologize for the inconvenience, we must now suspend business for the day. Please follow the clerks' instructions to the nearest exit."_

"Malfunction?" He questioned, _'That guy...could he have been carrying a bomb?!'_

"Enshū, I need you to do me a huge favor." He said, sounding serious.

She nodded.

"There's a guy that was just here with short brown hair, frail skinny appearance, wearing glasses." He described the guy as best as he could, "It looked like he was carrying a green stuffed animal, but it might have been a bomb. See if you can find him, oh...and you're free to beat him up, just don't hurt him too badly."

"Okay." She ran off to go find the boy he described.

"Now then, hopefully everyone's evacuated." He walked around making sure everyone was indeed out of the building.

"Huh?" He noticed a girl with a crown ring of flowers just standing there on her phone. Getting a better look, he noticed she was wearing a Judgement's armband.

_'Someone from Judgement? She must've called for the evacuation, but why is she just standing there?'_ He then saw a little girl running towards the still Judgement Officer.

"Hey, lady!"

His eyes widened when he noticed that in her arms was none other than the very same green stuffed animal that glasses wearing boy was carrying.

_'That's-!'_

The little girl stopped in front of her and held the stuffed animal out to her, "A man wearing glasses told me to give this to you. Here."

That confirmed it.

He didn't even think and was already running towards them. Yanking the stuffed animal out of the girl's grasp he tossed it away and stood before them, as he noticed something was gathering in its mouth.

"Get down!" He told them.

The Judgement girl instantly grabbed the little girl and used herself as a human shield, while he held his right hand out just as the bomb went off.

Outside Seventh Mist, those who evacuated saw the explosion and couldn't help but look on in horror as it went off. Some people were saying that there were some people still inside. What no one noticed however was the very same boy who gave the girl the stuffed animal in the first place walking away from the scene. But someone did take notice.

He sneaked into an alley with a satisfied grin on his face and laughed, "I'm almost there. Once I can handle a few more of them, I'll take those useless Judgement folks and those punks, and blow them both away—" a harsh kick to his back cut him off as he hit the ground painfully.

Enshū stared at the boy with innocent eyes, but that was the most dangerous thing about her. Its that very same innocence that makes her so dangerous.

"What on earth...?" The boy grunted painfully as sat up.

"I found you." She said, "The source of the bomb, that was you."

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about." he denied.

"Your plan failed. Everyone that was still inside is safe and alive." She said.

"Th-That's impossible! That was my maximum power!" He said in disbelief, not realizing he just busted himself out.

"You just confirmed it was indeed you who set off that bomb." She figured if she said everyone was safe and alive he would try to deny that possibility, and he did.

His face expressed that he did realize he just screwed himself, but still tried to deny it anyway, "I mean, it looked like an incredible explanation from outside, and I doubt that everyone inside could have survived it..." he reached inside his backpack about to throw what appeared to be a metal spoon at her, only for Enshū to kick him in the gut this time, that nearly sent him flying. He rolled over a few times before finally stopping.

He sat up again and chuckled bitterly, "And now, some girl I don't even know. It's always like this. No matter what I do," she walked towards him in the middle of his monologue, "I'm always beaten down to the ground by force. I'll kill you! It's people like you who are the problem! And Judgement is no different It's true of anyone who has power!"

Without hesitation she grabbed him by his hair and slammed him against the wall, "Power is irrelevant. I'm not a high level ranked Esper, for I am simply a Level 0 and nothing more."

"What...?"

"Everyone, is doing their best, even though its hard, even though its painful, they are still doing their best. You, who uses power as an excuse to hurt others...has no right to complain about anything." She lectured, "Now...goodnight, Bomber-san." Clenching her fist, she punched in in the gut hard enough to knock him out. As he went limp, she simply let got of him and watched as he fell on the hard ground.

Clapping was then heard as she turned her attention to the entrance of the alley. Standing there was Mikoto Misaka, who from the looks of it had seen the whole thing.

"That was pretty impressive." She complimented.

Enshū's eyes narrowed, "Why are you here?"

"Well...I saw you come this way and decided to follow you, in case you might have needed some help, but it looks like you didn't need it." Misaka said with a nervous smile, rubbing the back of her head.

"I'm fully capable of handling myself, I didn't need your help." Enshū stated bluntly.

Misaka felt as though a giant rock had landed on her head, "You don't have to be so blunt about it..." she noticed the girl was leaving the alley, "Hey, wait! Are you really that guy's sister?"

Enshū stopped walking away, but didn't turn to face her, "I am."

"Is he really a Level 0?" Misaka questioned.

Enshū finally turned to her, "I...don't like you." With those parting words she left the alley and never looked back.

Misaka blinked a few times, "...Huh?"

* * *

Anti-Skill as well as Judgement had sealed off the area, preventing anyone from trying to get in the mall. One Judgement Officer in particular was standing right in the middle of where the bomb went off. Shirai Kuroko a well known Judgement Officer was standing there bewildered at the charred black ground before her, while another part remained safe and untouched...the part where her partner Uiharu and that little girl were standing.

"Shirai!"

Hearing her name be called she saw it was Uiharu, Saten, that the little girl running towards her. She went near them, "I was so worried!"

Uiharu bowed apologetically, "I'm sorry. But thanks to that guy, see for yourself!" She twirled around, showing she had no injuries on her.

"Big brother saved us!" The little girl agreed.

"That guy? Big brother?" Kuroko questioned, even Saten was confused.

"It was amazing! He came out of nowhere and grabbed the bomb that was disguised a stuffed animal and tossed it away from us, and when it went off he did something to make sure it didn't hurt us!" Uiharu explained.

The Anti-Skill officers who were looking at the blackened part on the ground heard this and one of them spoke, "Did this guy by any chance have black spiky hair and eyes?"

"Huh, why yes he did, do you know him?" Uiharu asked.

Both Anti-Skill Officers gave each other a side glance before standing up, "No, its nothing." They left the area, leaving four confused girls behind.

"What the heck was that all about, maybe some secret cover up?" Saten guessed with that glint in her eyes.

"Oh, Saten." Uiharu sighed.

Kuroko was suspicious of their behavior herself and turned her attention back at the blackened floor, '_I have to wonder, though, what sort of ability did this mysterious guy use that made the place where Uiharu and the others were standing unharmed? To be able to block an explosion like this is something of Onee-sama's caliber. An ability like this...is that of a Level 5.'_

* * *

Kamijō sneezed as he and hiss companion walked away from the scene, on their way back to their Sensei's house.

"A cold?" Enshū questioned.

"No, someone's just talking about me." He joked, but it was probably true. Anti-Skill and Judgement should already be at the scene, surveying the damage. Hopefully no one at both branches have loose lips and won't mention him by name.

"You didn't seriously hurt the bomber kid, right?" He asked just to be sure.

"He's unharmed, and I think he won't try to blow anyone else up ever again." She sounded sure of the statement.

"That's good to know. I wonder if that rumors true then?" He wondered.

"Rumor?"

"About low level Espers suddenly getting their levels raised because of something called a "Lever Upper." I meant to ask Komoe-sensei about it, but with Index showing up and being attacked by two magicians it never came up in conversation." Ironically, he'd heard of the rumored 'Level Upper' from Aogami himself, not because he was thinking about using it, but because it sounded like something dangerous and he didn't want their Sensei to get hurt. Kamijō suspected that some guys from Skill Out might have gotten their hands on it and might try to sell it on the black market, or use their newly raised level Esper powers on innocent people.

"Are you interested in it?" Enshū asked.

"Maybe a little...but something tells me it'll be resolved even if I do get involved." His walking ceased as he sensed two familiar people watching them, "Looks like they finally wanna talk."

Enshū didn't even bother asking who he meant and simply followed him as he somehow knew where the two familiar individuals were. Their destination led them to a park where there were a lot of people walking around. Sitting on a bench were both Stiyl and Kanzaki. They approached the two magicians as Kamijō broke the ice, "Not planning on using any of these people here as hostages are you?" It sounded like an innocent question, but he was dead serious.

Stiyl lit up a cigarette, "Of course not. We wouldn't stoop so low as to use all of these people here as hostages."

Kamijō stared for a few more minutes before relaxing, "Just wanted to make sure. This is my sister by the way, but you probably already know who she is."

Stiyl eyed the girl, "We do..."

Enshū was eyeing Kanzaki the whole time Kamijō and Stiyl had been talking, unnerving the girl somewhat, "W-What...?" The sword wielding mage spoke, sounding uncomfortable.

What Enshū was staring at wasn't the female mages face, but her breasts.

"Big and soft..."

Kanzaki sputtered before covering her chest with both arms, "D-Don't stare at them! And don't say that out loud!"

Kamijō gave his sister a dry look, "I'm gonna kill those two when this is all over..." he vowed as somewhere in Academy City Tsuchimikado and Aogami felt as though they were just marked for death. He sat down next to Stiyl, "Well, looks like you're ready to explain just what exactly is going on."

"That's right, we've decided to tell you everything concerning Index." Stiyl confirmed.

The Level 0 looked into the red heads eyes, "The look in your eyes...for all of that cocky attitude when we first met, it seems to me like you two really care about her."

Kanzaki averted her eyes, "We do. Even if Index no longer remembers how we feel about her...we still care about her."

"Yet, you tried to kill her." Enshū stated bluntly with a hint of an accusation.

Kanzaki gripped her sword tightly, "We had no other choice..."

The look in Stiyl's eyes now expressed pain, "This was the only option we had left."

Kamijō could tell by their downhearted expressions that they've known Index for a long time, but Index...

"This about her memory loss?" He guessed.

"Yes. We were told by the Church that Index needs her memories erased once a year because her mind has been overloaded with 103,000 grimoires stored inside of her mind." Kanzaki started explaining.

"They said she has about 15% of brain left for other functions. The reason she was even chosen to be the vessel is because she can't use magic." Stiyl added.

Memories that need to be erased once every year? 15% of brain left for other function? Something about that didn't sound right.

Kanzaki continued, "We tried to make new memories with Index, but it proved to be useless for even if we made new memories with her...she would just forget one again."

"Which is why its best to let her believe that we are enemies out to get her for the Grimoires. If her memories are not erased once a year...she will die." Stiyl finished explaining.

Enshū frowned at them, "You gave up. Cowards."

Kamijō sweat-dropped, 'As blunt as ever.' He wondered if that was a Kihara trait or if it was just all her.

"My sister's bluntness aside, do you guys honestly believe in what the Church told you?" He questioned.

Stiyl was a little annoyed and angry that Enshū accused them of being cowards but responded, "That is what they said."

"And you just automatically believed them?" Kamijō said with a sigh, "Sorry, but even I can tell that everything you just explained makes no sense."

"What?" Kanzaki said.

Enshū elaborated, "The human brain will not run out of memory. The neurons within the brain combine so that it helps with many memories at a time, increasing the brain's memory storage capacity to something closer to around 2.5 petabytes." (I heard this from my Math Professor one time, so I don't know if this is accurate or not).

"Even if she has 103,000 grimoires stored within her mind, the brain will not run out of memory storage capacity." She stated.

"But that's..." Kanzaki trailed off.

Kamijō stood up with a sigh, "Well...there is a way to find out as to whether the guys at your Church are lying or not."

Stiyl gave him a look, "What are you planning?"

The smile the young high schooler gave him made his question all the more valid, "I'm gonna need you guys to set up that Rune you did last time. Can you do that?"

Both Mages blinked in confusion. Just what is he planning by asking them to set up Runes? What was he trying to do?

"We can, but why are you requesting we set up a Rune?" Kanzaki asked.

The black spiky haired boy walked away before stopping, "I think I might have a way to help Index, but with my luck I'm gonna need to be prepared just in case."

"In case of what?" Stiyl questions again.

The high schooler fully turned to them, "Who knows? I'm someone who attracts bad luck. Anything can happen. By the way, you guys know where School District 10 is, right?"

"Yes. We went through the maps of Academy City and know of all of the School Districts." Kanzaki confirmed.

"I'll bring Index there tonight. Its mostly Skill-Out territory, but since some of them rarely hang out at night anymore it'll be deserted." He said.

Enshū gave him a knowing look, "Black-Eyed Dragon."

Kamijō promptly coughed into his fist at the nickname given to him by the thugs of District 10, "Anyway that's the plan, see you guys there tonight!" He walked away quickly from the area, leaving an amused Enshū and confused Magicians behind.

Stiyl was the one to ask, "Black-Eyed Dragon?"

The former Kihara family member giggled, "Don't you think it fits?"

Stiyl and Kanzaki thought about it for a second, "It does."

"I know."

* * *

District 10.

There's not much to say about it, except that it pretty much looks like a decaying mess. The land prices in the district is cheap because the public order and security was a complete joke. Hell, even delivery men purposefully avoid the place and go out of their way to go around the district all together to get to their destination. During the day, you could clearly see how decayed the buildings are, how close they look to falling apart. It was pretty much used to dump unnecessary things, like experimental animals and whatnot.

Kamijō and Enshū had dragged Index all the way here while Stiyl and Kanzaki had already put up the runes to close the place off. He had already made the decision to help her, and in case something happens he would rather not destroy his Sensei's place.

"Hey, Tōma, Enshū, why are we here?" Index finally asks them.

Both siblings stood in the middle of the street and faced her, but it was Kamijō who answered, "To put it bluntly...I'm going to help you."

"...Eh?"

"Whatever the Church did to you that caused your memories to be erased," he elaborated, "I'm going to nullify it with my ability."

Imagine Breaker should be able to find the source of whatever the Church did to Index and nullify it.

"Nullify it? You have an ability that can do that?" Index questioned.

"Imagine Breaker. Its something I've always had, it can nullify Esper abilities, including magic now apparently. You may not believe me, but I think the Church is responsible for your memory loss. If I place my right hand on your head, then I should be able to find the source and nullify it." He explained.

"Your right hand? Is that where the source of your ability is?" She asked.

"Yeah, but it kind of spreads all over my body, too. I may not look it, but if you were to slam me into a building or concrete I'd still be okay. Having it surround my body makes my skin as tough as a rock." He said. Or maybe as hard as Dragon scales, since Imagine Breaker takes the form of a dragon.

Index looked down, as if unsure of whether his ability will really work or not.

"Can you...can you really help me? Can you really save me?" She asked with a hopeful tone.

Enshū gave Index a hug, "He will. No matter what, he will save Index." She broke the hug and smiled at the little nun, "Believe in my brother."

Index looked at Enshū, then at Kamijō, who nodded seriously. With a hopeful smile she closed her eyes and Enshū took that as her cue to step away as her brother approached Index. He placed his right arm on top of her head, but didn't hear the glass breaking sound he's used to hearing. Then he moved his hand to her cheek and still heard nothing.

_'If they did something to her to make her lose her memories, they probably wouldn't make it obvious. Or maybe...'_ If it wasn't anywhere on her face, then could it be...

"Index, this may sound strange, but could you open your mouth for me?" he asked.

"Eh?!" She exclaimed.

"Just trust me."

A little unsure, she opened her mouth and he stuck his finger inside,much to Index's embarrassment. He felt a little embarrassed himself, but steeled his nerves as he looked inside her mouth with his finger still inside and saw something strange.

_'What is that?'_

Inside her mouth was some sort of symbol.

It looked like a two with a line next to it. Actually, it looks like the astrological sign for Jupiter. Is this it? As his finger made contact with the symbol there was pulse of static as he yanked his finger out of her mouth. He looked down at his finger and saw there was a small amount of blood on it.

_'Blood? I'm actually bleeding?'_

"Brother!" Enshū's yell got his attention.

Looking back at Index he saw her body begin to float in the air as her body was surrounded in black smoke. Her head was hanging low before she looked up and revealed green eyes with a red patterns in them. It almost reminded him of an Awakening Mode...the same as him at that time when he was kidnapped and almost experimented on by the Kihara Clan.

Index said nothing as she charged at him.

He wasted no time in grabbing his sister and quickly getting out of the way. To the naked eye, it appears that he teleported, but he just used inhuman speed. It comes in handy when you run away from a clan of science crazy nut jobs or towards a horde of Skill-Outs.

Index kept floating in mid air as her focus was on him and only him.

Placing his sister down, he stepped in front of her, "Stay back, Enshū."

"Okay."

Index's voice spoke, but it sounded way different from the childlike and naive voice he's come to know, "Warning. Chapter 3, Verse 2. Confirmed the penetration of seals 1 to 3. Preparing to regenerate. Failure. Auto-regeneration cannot be carried out. Presently, in order to protect the library of 103,000 grimoires, prioritizing engaging with the intruder. Reverse engineering the magic formula that destroyed the barriers, based on the 103,000 grimoires. Failure. No applicable spell found."

Kamijō was on high alert.

"Forcing the disclosure of the spell's composition and constructing a local weapon against the intruder. Successfully constructed the most effective weapon against the intruder." The red lines in her eyes were projected visibly, "Now initiating local weapon, "Sento Jōji no Sei'iki (St. George's Sanctuary). Proceeding to destroy intruder." There was a sound and the red lines became cracks, almost as if space-time was being distorted.

Stiyl and Kanzaki then chose that time to appear and stared in disbelief.

Kamijō got ready. He tensed as Index moved, "Ryūō no Satsuiki (Dragon's Breath)." She casted a beam of light at him, which he blocked with both hands with his ability.

"Enshū, stay behind me!" He warned.

"I will!" She made sure to stay right behind him, knowing that her ability would be useless here.

"No way..." Stiyl stared.

"Why can she...use magic..." Kanzaki questioned.

Kamijō gave them a side glance, "Isn't it obvious?! What the Church told you was a lie! She can use magic!"

They gasped.

"That's not all! Telling you that she would die if her memories weren't erased in the periods of one year was a lie, too! In her brain...is the Church's magic!" He said, "When you stop and think about it, they would never just tell you the whole truth! You might belong to the same organization as them, but even they can still lie to your face!"

Stiyl and Kanzaki said nothing as they looked down.

"Base output ineffective. Modifying to double output." Index uttered as she increased the output.

Kamijō's feet dug into the ground the output was increased, but he still held on.

"Salvare000!" Kanzaki called out her magic name and used her strings to lift some of the concrete below Index that made her told backwards as the Dragon Breath spell shot up into the air and destroy the Tree Diagram that was hovering above the Earth.

Kamijō looked up and saw white feather falling from the sky, "Feathers?"

"That's Feather of Light!" Kanzaki said, "Its the after effect of Ryūō no Satsuiki! If you even come in contact with one feather, you'll be doomed!"

"Great." He said dryly.

Index still had the spell going and turned the beam back on him. Just as he prepared himself to block it, Stiyl intervened.

"Inokentiusu (Innocentius)!" He summoned the fire monster to block the spell and protect Kamijō.

"Go, esper!" Stiyl encouraged.

Kamijō wasted no time charging at Index.

"Warning. Chapter 6, Verse 13. Confirmed new enemy soldier. Changing battle logic. Commencing search trace of the battlefield. Complete. Prioritizing the destruction of the most problematic enemy, Kamijō Tōma." Index voice uttered as she increased the output again, but Innocentius was hanging in there.

"Warning. Chapter 22, Verse 1. Succeeded in reverse engineering of flame spell. Confirmed to be a distorted interpretation of Christian doctrines, described by runes. Constructing an anti-Christian weapon. Moving St. George's Sanctuary to Stage 2. Eri Eri Rema Sabakutani (Eli Eli Lema Sabachthani)." Index sent a powerful red beam of light towards Innocentius, causing it to cry out in pain.

"Innocentius!" Stiyl cried as the flame monster was destroyed.

As soon as it was destroyed, Kamijō was already in front of Index and touched her forehead with his right hand. There was a sound of glass shattering as the beam disappeared and Index fell sideways.

"War...ning..." she spoke, "Final Chapter...Verse...0..."Necklace"...suffered fatal destruction...Regeneration impo—" her eyes finally closed and Kamijō caught her before she could hit the ground. He picked her up and handed her over to Stiyl who didn't hesitate to take her from him.

"Told you, with my luck I need to be prepared." He joked.

Stiyl and Kanzaki both huffed in amusement.

"When she wakes up, tell her everything. I get the feeling she'll listen." He promised, walking over to his sister, who gave him a hug, "Sorry. Were you worried?"

Enshū nodded in his shirt, "Very." She reluctantly removed herself from him as she looked over at the three magicians. Index wasn't trying to run as both Stiyl and Kanzaki explained to her that they truly do care for her and only wanted for her to be happy, but did it in the wrong way. Index actually listened to them just like Kamijō said she would. The sincerity in their eyes proved they weren't lying. With a tearful smile, she hugged both mages, taking them by surprise, but returned the hug and glad that Index was okay.

The two siblings watched the exchange as feathers continued to fall from the sky. Unfortunately, one of those feathers landed on Kamijō's head. His whole body stilled as everyone looked at him in utter horror.

Deep within the boy was the being known as the "Invisible Thing." It sensed its host was in danger of losing his memories and decided to act in the most appropriate way...by taking over.

Kamijō's body fell backwards as his whole body was surrounded by blue and black energy. The energy pushed Enshū away from him as he spoke, his voice, unlike Index's dull and robotic voice when in John Pen's Defense Mode sounded ancient and powerful.

"Certain damage imminent. Eradicating." Kamijō's ancient voice sent shivers down everyone's spines.

"What is this...?" Kanzaki placed a hand on her blade as Stiyl brought out some cards.

"This presence..." Stiyl tensed.

Index's worry about the boy trumped her fear, "Tōma..."

Enshū was no better. She knew what that thing was, having met it when she first met Kamijō. The Invisible Thing. It unnerved her to no end. And now, here it was possessing her brother again. Its done it before, but this is the first time its actually spoken words.

Kamijō was back up right, but his eyes were a different color from his black, yet kind eyes. They were now blue and black hue, almost dragon like, too. The blue and black energy was still around him as his eyes stayed focused on the mages standing before him.

"Tōma...?" Index called out to him.

The Invisible Thing possessing the boy's body eyed her, promoting Stiyl and Kanzaki to be on their guard just in case he decides to attack.

"Host in recovery." The Invisible Thing grunted.

"Recovery?" Stiyl questioned.

The Invisible Thing kept its gaze on Index, "The feather tried to harm the host. Host is resting while damage is being repaired."

"The feather? Does it mean the after effects of Dragon Breath?" Kanzaki wondered.

"Correct."

Index pushed herself forward, ignoring Stiyl and Kanzaki's concerns for her to get back, "Will Tōma be okay?!" She was worried and wanted to know if he was really okay or not.

The Invisible Thing that was still possessing his body kept its gaze on her, narrowing slightly.

"Little mage. What do you seek from host?" It inquired.

"Eh?" What did she seek from him? Nothing. He went out of his way to save her, even though she never asked him to do such a thing, but he did it anyway. So what she sought was...

"To thank him..." she mumbled, trembling a little as she held her hands to her chest, "I...I...want to thank Tōma!"

Stiyl and Kanzaki stared at her.

"Not just Tōma, but Enshū, too! I want to thank them!" She clarified.

The Invisible Thing stared right into her eyes, that no longer held fear, but resolve. Perhaps it would be fine to allow this little mage to stay around its host.

"Acceptable." It said with its eyes closed before stumbling slightly as Kamijō's eyes opened, revealing black eyes instead of the blue and black hue. He was back.

"Huh?" He rubbed his head, "Looks like whatever damage was supposed to happen was fixed."

"Brother! Tōma!" Enshū and Index glopped him as he returned. The unexpected hugs made him fall over with the two girls on top of him. Stiyl and Kanzaki found the new situation to be amusing as the boy tried to get them off.

Despite everything that's happened...

It looks Index would no longer have her memories erased, and she was okay.

But...there's still the Church to take care of.

So with that in mind.

* * *

"So, you're going back to the Church to tell them off?" Kamijō questioned as they all sat in the same park where Stiyl and Kanzaki talked to him about Index. His sister and the little nun were laying around with some kids while they talked.

"That's right. We will demand an explanation as to why they lied to us." Kanzaki said with a cold look in her eye that promised retribution.

Stiyl took the cigarette out of his mouth, "Index will be staying here with you while we deal with them. As much as it irritates me to say this, she's much more safer with you two than she is with us righ now."

He will take that as a compliment.

"When you finish your business there, you can come back to visit. I'm sure Index will appreciate it, now that she knows you two aren't really her enemies." He said.

"Stiyl will probably visit here more than me. My rank as a Saint will prevent me from visiting here as much as I like." Kanzaki said regrettably.

Kamijō shrugged, "So Stiyl, the person who has secret feelings for Index will be the only one coming here to visit and check up on her."

Stiyl coughed as he dropped his cigarette out of embarrassment, while Kanzaki turned away and giggled slightly. He may not look it, but Kamijō Tōma can be quite perceptive.

"What are you guys talking about?" Index questions as she ran over to them with Enshū following right behind her.

"Stiyl and Kanzaki are heading back to England for a bit to have a little chat with the Church, till then you'll be staying with me and Enshū. You okay with that?" Kamijō asked.

Index was a little saddened that Stiyl and Kanzaki were leaving but happy she got to stay with Kamijō and Enshū.

"You'll come back as soon as you can, right?" Index asks the two mages.

Kanzaki smiled, "I won't be able to come as much, but Stiyl will be here."

Stiyl nodded in confirmation.

"Then, its a promise!" Index held out her pinky finger, "I saw one of kids do this! You have to link your pinky's together so the promise is kept!"

Stiyl and Kanzaki both liked their pinky's with Index's as they promised to see each other again. With the two mages on their way back to England, the Kamijō siblings went back to their fixed apartment with their new housemate, Index. They went to school like normal before Summer Break officially started in Academy City. Tōma, Enshū, and Index spent time together with happy smiles of their faces, almost as if the incident never happened. As they were enjoying their summer vacation, something was happening in Academy City. Something that Tōma had mentioned before.

The Level Upper.

He had already known about it from Aogami, but now some gangs were talking about it out in public. He suspected that those who are mostly using it are those from Skill-Out, or individuals who want to raise up their level. Having those who've already used the Level Upper walking around and abusing their new abilities was kinda dangerous, if that bomber kid was any indication.

"Hey, Tōma, what's a Level Upper?" Index asked.

He thought about how to answer that, "I guess you can say it lets those who are ranked Level 0 or those with a low rank can boost it when they use it. I don't really know what it looks like though, so that's just my guess."

Index hummed, "So its like a legendary item?"

"Guess so." He shrugged.

"The real question is, who created it and why?" Enshū said.

"Now that, is a good question." He agreed.

"Excuse me." A new voice interrupted their conversation.

Walking towards them was a woman with an impressive figure and a pretty good looking face if not for the dark circles underneath her eyes. Her long brown wavy hair was an added bonus, too.

"Yes, can we help you?" He asked the woman.

"Sorry to bother you, but I can't seem to remember where I parked my car." She said, "I was wondering if maybe you could help me find it?"

"I'm sorry, since I haven't seen what it looks like I can't use my Perfect Memory to help you find it." Index apologized.

"Huh, I didn't know you had perfect memory." Tōma commented.

"Yep! Once I see a face or anything else I never forget it!" She beamed.

"Talk about convenient." He mumbled.

"I can't help you either." Enshū said regrettably.

"Why don't we retrace your steps," he suggested, "Let's see...what about landmarks? Do you remember anything?"

"A landmark? Now that I think about it, there was a crosswalk in front of it." The woman remembered.

He rubbed the back of his neck, "A crosswalk doesn't count as a landmark." But it was a start. If they could just retrace her steps—

"You!"

"Hm? That voice..." he trailed off as he saw the familiar Tokiwadai uniform belonging to, you guessed it...Mikoto Misaka.

"Oh, Biri Biri." He said as he felt his sister negative aura as soon as the Level 5 Esper showed up.

"I'm not Biri Biri, its Misaka Mikoto!" She yelled.

Index frowned at the girl and tugged on Tōma's shirt, "Tōma, who is this rude girl?"

"R-Rude?!" Misaka exclaimed.

"She's a Level 5 that goes to Tokiwadai Middel School." He said.

Index looked back at her, still frowning, "So, this Short Hair is someone you know?"

"Through some unfortunate circumstances, yes." He sighed.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" She yelled.

"Annoying." Enshū said, not even bothering to lower her voice.

He chuckled nervously, "Now, now."

The woman meanwhile fanned her face with her hand before proceeding to unbutton her shirt, "Wow, you know, it sure is hot." She then proceeded to take off her shirt.

Misaka gasped with red cheeks.

Index's whole face became red, "W-W-W-What are you doing?!"

"I've been walking around quite a bit under the hot sun. I'm dripping with sweat." The woman said as her braw was exposed for all the world to see.

Tōma covered her eyes with one hand and covered Enshū's with the other, "That doesn't mean you can strip in public like this! My sister and friend are innocent and pure, they don't need to see this!" He yelled with his eyes closed shut.

Misaka stomped over to them and stood before Tōma, "What is with this woman?!" She demanded.

"How would we know who this shameless woman is, Short Hair!" Index yelled, waving her arms around as her eyes were still covered.

"Put your shirt back on!" Tōma requested.

"But...its hot." The woman moaned.

"Too bad!" He moved his sister and Index in front of him as he walked away, "Have this girl help you, we're leaving!" He dragged the two girls away from the stripping woman as quickly as possible.

"Hold on!"

He ignored Misaka as he hurried up and left the scene.

Despite the strange encounter, he was still thinking about the Level Upper and hoped he wouldn't be dragged into it.

But with his luck...

He eventually will.

* * *

**+Level Upper Arc Part 1: Dealing with Grudges+**


	3. Level Upper Arc Part 1: Past Grudges

I haven't updated this story in quite awhile, so thought I'd update some chapters for it. Since I'm working, updates will be slow. None of my stories are abandoned, I will announce if they are.

* * *

Today our unlucky boy was dressing up because he was on his way to meet with someone special. He was going by himself, meaning Enshū and Index won't be coming with him. The person he was meeting up with today was Tokiwadai's Queen and 5th ranked Level 5 Esper—Shokuhō Misaki.

They never meet out in public face to face because she was the cautious type, but she does call him when she has the chance to check up on him. He suspected she wants to see him because of the light show Index made when she attacked him in her defense mode. The destruction of the Academy's Tree Diagram had to have gathered the attention of the higher ups, but knowing them they'll have it covered up like always and keep his involvement out of it. Misaki has eyes everywhere thanks to her ability and probably already figured out it had something to do with him.

"Tōma, can we really not go with you to see your friend today?" Index whined.

"Sorry, it'll just be the two of us so you and Enshū can't come with." He said.

Index gave him a pout, prompting him to rub her head, "Don't look so down. You can hang out with Enshū today until I get back. Make sure you stay with her and don't wander off, okay?"

The little nun was still pouting but relented, "Okay..."

He smiled, "I'll make us all something good to eat tonight, how does that sound?"

"Really?! Yay!" Index cheered.

"Make sure you watch her at all times Enshū." He told his sister.

"Don't worry, I'll watch her." She promised.

Seeing no other reason to worry, he left the apartment to meet up with Misaki. He was already at the bus stop when he saw his escort was already there waiting for him. She was a pretty middle school girl with a slender body frame, but a small bust size. She has long platinum blonde hair with ringlet curls and eyes that matched her hair. This girl's name is Hokaze Junko, a Level 4 Esper, who also stays by Misaki's side as her right hand.

"Sorry, did I keep you waiting?" He apologized.

Junko shook her head, "No, I just got here myself. Are you ready to go, Kamijō-san?"

"You know, you don't have to be so formal. You can just call me by my first name." He told her.

"No, I couldn't! Queen would never forgive me if I did such a disrespectful thing!" Junko said frantically, waving her hands in front of her.

Out of all of the people in Misaki's clique, Junko was probably the most loyal member, probably because she's known her the longest. The two teens boarded the bus and were now on their way to Tokiwadai.

Tōma leaned back in his seat, "I'm getting a bad feeling."

"Is something wrong, Kamijō-san?" Junko asked.

He eyed some of the passengers on the bus before responding in a low tone, "You probably already know about this, but the reason I'm getting a bad feeling is because of this whole Level Upper thing."

"You know of the Level Upper as well? As expected of someone who the Queen is so fond of." Junko complimented.

With a small blush he turned his head away, "Right..."

"But, I understand why you feel unnerved," Junko said, suddenly sounding serious, "Even Queen is starting to see the Level Upper as a problem."

"She's probably already investigating it, right?"

"Yes."

Figures she would Tōma thought. Normally rumors of the such wouldn't interest Misaki, but the Level Upper isn't just some rumor. And its nit just the Level 0's who are using it, but those who are Level 1 or even 2 use it in hopes of enhancing their current level.

_'Just who created it, and why?'_ He wondered.

The Level Upper couldn't have just appeared out of nowhere, someone had to have created it. Only question is...

Who?

**Tokiwadai Middle School**

Junko walked in through the gate as he was a guest and this was standard policy. She walks him inside and takes him to Misaki's known hangout place, which just so happens to be the outside lounge. Some of her other loyal followers were there with her, but the girl signaled them away once he arrived.

"How are you, Misaki?" Tōma asks her in the form of a greeting.

Her response was to give him one of her charming, yet genuine smile, "Shouldn't I be asking you that? And to answer your question, I'm doing just fine."

Taking a seat in front of her, he takes a sip of some of the tea that was placed out for him, "Things seem to be the same around here."

"On the surface, but that's not the topic of discussion for today." She gets straight to the point.

Leaning back against his chair, he decided to tell her everything. About Index, fighting two magicians, the Church, etc.

Needless to say, Misako did not look pleased about the fact that he has almost lost his memories, but luckily everything worked out.

But still...

"...are you sure you want to have her live with you?" Misaki asks him, seriously.

"Misaki..." Tōma could understand why she was feeling a certain way about Index, but it's not the little nun's fault.

Smiling, Misaki looks him in the eye, "If anything else happens, and I do mean anything...please don't hesitate to tell me."

"You got it, I promise you." He promises.

Sighing in relief, they decide to talk about another topic of discussion. One that's been going around as of late.

"From the information I've gathered, the Level Upper does indeed enhance an Espers ability, say about a Level 3 or 4. Not only that, but it was specifically designed to alter an Espers brainwave using all of the five senses using synesthesia. Meaning the person that created this Level Upper is trying to create a brainwave network for the purpose of calculating abilities by using the AIM diffusion fields of the espers to connect to said network." Misaki informs him.

"So not only are they trying to create their own network of Esper AIM diffusion fields, but the levels only go up to either 3 or 4 and not that of a Level 5, huh? Well, I kinda figured it wouldn't, but still..." Tōma trailed off. If someone who used the Level Upper raises the ability to that of a Level 5, there's no telling what they'd be capable of.

Not a pleasant thought.

"Can I assume that the mastermind behind all this has a specific goal in mind? No one just randomly creates something like the Level Upper without having a goal in mind." Tōma decides to take a guess.

"Bingo~!" Misaki winks.

Okay, so it effects an Espers brainwaves and enhances their abilities to that of a Level 3 or 4. Like that bomber kid. The explosion he caused had to be on the same caliber as a Level 4. Not only that, but it has its own brainwave network that will connect to the administrator—the person who created the Level Upper.

The two teens talked for a little while longer before it was time for Kamijō to leave.

"Thanks for the info, Misaki. I'll treat you to some nice tea next time. There's this nice little cafe I found at random that you'll love." He said.

"Sounds good to me, it's a date." Misaki said, giving him the hint that she wants it to be a date next time.

And got the hint, he did.

Kamijō gives her a mock bow, "Yes, my lady."

That earns him a giggle.

* * *

Looks like the Level Upper was going to be more trouble than it's worth. As he was walking around, he spotted someone from judgement taking down some thugs who claimed they were a certain level now and could fight as they pleased. Didn't take a genius to understand they were talking about the Level Upper.

Misaki gave him some more information about the so called "legendary item," and now all he has to do is try and find it. But that's easier said than done. In the first place, he wouldn't even know where to look.

_'It's supposed some "legendary item," so maybe...'_ Stopping in the middle of an abandoned street, he sighs.

"Never a dull moment that's for sure," He muttered before calling out, "You can stop hiding!"

At his call, some thugs come walking out from the shadows, grinning with anticipation. The unlucky boy could automatically tell that these guys were part of Skill-Out. And judging by those confident grins on their faces, they must have some kind of grudge against him.

"Can I help you?" He casually says to them.

One of the thugs stepped forward, "We've been waiting on ya...Black Eyes Dragon!"

"Heh...and just who might this Black Eyes Dragon person be? Certainly you don't mean me?" Kamijō dryly inquires.

"That'd be you!" The same thug yelled.

Honestly, Kamijō wasn't surprised in the least. Even though he was wild back in middle school, and did some stupid things, there was always a chance of this happening.

_'But still...'_ He eyes the thugs that have gathered just for the chance of getting some payback, _'To see all of them gathered here like this...such misfortune.'_

Story of his life.

"Sorry, but you've got the wrong person." He says, rubbing the back of his head before attempting to walk away from the area.

Only for it to fail.

Before he could even attempt to leave, a fireball was headed right for him. Casually, he brings up his right hand to block the incoming attack.

***Shatter***

Sighing, he turns to face then again.

"Looks like I'm not getting out of this, after all." Accepting the fact that he won't be getting out of this, he cracks his knuckles, "...sorry about this."

Before the thug, who threw the fireball at him could say anything, a fist to the face sent him flying backwards. The rest could clearly see he was knocked out cold.

"Wha—!" A kick to the gut knocked out another one. Before long, the fight had finally started. Kamijō wasted no time taking the thugs down one by one. Sure some used their now leveled up abilities, but it was useless against the Level 0 as he touched them with his right hand before knocking them out cold.

Kamijō stops his assault and notices there are quite a few of them left. What surprised him was the fact that they were still here, and hadn't tried to run away yet.

"I really hate to do this..." Getting into a stance, he decided to put an end to this, **"Ryūken: Bakuhatsu (Dragon Fist: Explosion)."** Gathering energy into his fist, he punches forward.

* * *

"So there still hasn't been any leads as to who the mastermind is, yet?" Mikoto a inquires to her roommate.

"Absolutely nothing." Kuroko slumped her shoulders, only to wince slightly as she accidentally aggravated her injuries. Luckily, Misaka didn't notice.

"I'm sure you'll find something," Misaka says in an attempt to cheer her up, "The guy said it was a song, right? So maybe—"

***BOOM!***

"Wh—What in the world?!" Kuroko jumped a little as she heard an explosion coming from somewhere.

"Where did that come from?!" Misaka was just as curious as her friend.

Suddenly, Kuroko's phone went off. She answered it.

"Yes? Shirai speaking." Kuroko answers. As she listens to the person on the other line, her eyes widen, "I see, understood!"

"What's going on?" Misaka asked.

Kuroko quickly turns to her, "There was a call to Anti-Skill just moments after an unknown explosion went off! Apparently involved those who were using the Level Upper!"

"Really, where?!" Misaka questioned, wanting to know.

Without explaining, Kuroko touches Misaka's shoulder before teleporting them away.

* * *

"What the..." Misaka said, staring at the destruction before her.

The two of them arrived at the scene and were in complete and utter shock at what they saw. The whole area looked as though a huge bomb had gone off (not surprising since they heard a loud "boom" sound). Not only that, but all around them lay a mountain of bodies.

"Are they even still alive...?" Misaka couldn't help but ask.

Kuroko crouches down next to a random thug, checking his pulse.

"They're still breathing...but who on earth caused all this destruction?" Kuroko really wanted to know who was responsible for this.

"I'm not...sure..." Not even Misaka had any clues as to who in the world could have done this.

Just as she was pondering about it, she sees one of the thugs was conscious and talking to a random Anti-Skill Officer.

Curious, both she and Kuroko walk closer to them.

"And? What else happened?" The random Anti-Skill Officer questioned the thug.

The man was shaking like a leaf. Now that wouldn't have been much of a problem mind you had the man's eyes didn't look like he had just fought something or someone terrifying.

"We—We thought we'd had him beat w-with our n-numbers...but...we were wrong...!" He yelled, "The Black Eyes Dragon" wiped us all out just like that!"

Misaka noticed how the Anti-Skill officer flinched at the name, but otherwise said nothing.

"You and your gang used the Level Upper, right?" The man asked him.

Instead of denying it, the thug just began to laugh hysterically, "Even though we finally got our hands on it, it still wasn't enough!"

"Haha...haha...hahahahahahaha—!"

Sighing, the Anti-Skill Officer stood up, "I see, thank you for your cooperation." He leaves the thug there and just now notices the two girls, "Oh, hello. I'm mistaken, you're from Judgement?"

Kuroko shows the man her arm band, "Shirai Kuroko of Judgement. What happened here?"

"Well...lets just say these guys picked a fight with the wrong person." The officer explained.

"And that person caused all this?" Misaka questioned.

Shrugging his shoulders, the officer looked around the area, "To be honest, I'm surprised that there wasn't more damage. Guess he decided it wasn't worth it."

At his comment, both girls wanted him to elaborate, "Excuse me, but what do you mean by that?" Kuroko was the one to ask.

The man waved off her curious question, "Don't worry about it, it's nothing. Better take these guys in."

They watched as he walked away, still full of questions about just what happened here.

"But still...what kind of Esper could cause not only this destruction, but make these neanderthals so terrified to the point of insanity?" Kuroko wondered.

Misaka listened to what the thug said earlier about all of them teaming up to take down the "Black Eyes Dragon."

That name...

"The Black Eyes Dragon..." Misaka whispers.

Kuroko turns to her, "I feel like I've heard that name before, but where...?"

"Maybe Uiharu could look something up and tell us." Misaka suggested.

"That's our best bet." Kuroko agreed.

* * *

Speaking of which, Kamijō was finally heading back home. It has been one crazy day, part of him feels like it is just getting started. But for now, he was heading home.

"I'm back!" He announces, stepping through the door.

Index was the first one to greet him, coming from around the corner and running up to him, "Welcome home, Tōma!" She greets, giving him a hug.

Enshū then shows up and hugs him, "Did something happen?"

Getting straight to the point as always. She can always read him like an open book.

"Some guys from Skill-Out attacked me on my way back here. They had used the Level Upper, and figured they could all take me on at once." He explains.

Index instantly pulls back from the hug to inspect him, "What?! Are you okay?!"

Smiling, he reassures her, "I'm fine, there's not a single scratch on me. Can't say the same for the guys that tried to attack me, though."

"Serves them right." Enshū unapologetically says.

Brutal honesty is a wonderful thing, isn't it?

Clapping his hands together, he smiles.

"How about we all go out to JonaGarden?" He suggested.

Index response was for her eyes to light up and look excited, "Really?!"

He nodded, "We'll all go out there for lunch, and Index can order whatever she wants, plus desert."

"Yay! Let's go, let's go!" Index cheered, running towards the door.

While she was doing that, the Kamijō siblings stayed back a little to have their private conversation.

"What did she say?" She finally asked.

"That the Level Upper can increase one's level from a 0 to that of a Level 3 or 4. She also told me that the mastermind behind it is trying to create a network of Esper brainwaves." Kamijō tells her.

"The mastermind is doing this with a purpose in mind," Enshū states what he already figured, "This almost sounds like something my family—the Kihara's would do."

She's right.

For all they know this could be part of some sick experiment on their part. The Kihara's only care about science and nothing more.

"If it does turn out to be them...we'll have to find and stop them. I've been getting a bad feeling ever since finding out about the Level Upper. The Espers using it...it won't end well for them." Kamijō frowned.

All those low-level Espers using something like the Level Upper to take shortcuts in making their level go up...soon they'll have to pay a price for it. Some part of Kamijō understands how they feel, true he has an ability and can hold his own in a fight against Espers who are of a higher level than him…

Sometimes...it just gets to be so frustrating.

To work your hardest in trying to raise your level, only for your hard work to not produce any results. Its a real kick to the gut, and you give up and look for another way to raise your level.

Hence, the Level Upper.

As if sensing her brother's inner turmoil, Enshū grabs his hand, squeezing it slightly, "Whatever happens, we'll take care of it."

Smiling back, the siblings leave the house in order to catch up to index and make sure the girl didn't get into trouble or get lost.

* * *

Uiharu's fingers were moving at a fast pace as she tapped on the keyboard of her computer. The reason she was working so fast is because Misaka had a request for her, which required her to look up the keywords, "The Black Eyes Dragon." She had remembered hearing some rumors about it back then, but nothing else since then.

"The Black Eyes Dragon...an infamous person who hunted for Skill-Out members that were causing problems for others. The rumors said that the Black Eyes Dragon would appear when he sensed someone from Skill-Out about to cause trouble, and immediately appear to take them down." Saten explained as she was the rumor nut in the group, "They say that when Anti-Skill came after the battle was over...all that was left were the scattered bodies, and when they woke up in the hospital they all said this."

She leaned in, flashlight in hand with a creepy grin, "The Black Eyes Dragon came to devour them all!"

…

…

Misaka sweat-dropped with an uneasy smile, "Really…"

"Honestly, where in the world do you hear this from? That website you always go on?" Kuroko says with a roll of her eyes.

Huffing, Saten leaned back in her chair, "Oh, come on! That's really what they all said when they woke up in the hospital!"

"And you know that how?" Kuroko inquires, raising an inquisitive brow.

A twinkle sparkles in Saten's eye, "I have my sources."

"What does that mean?" Kuroko deadpanned.

Misaka just have a nervous laugh as the two have their own unique banter.

"I found it!" Uiharu cheers.

All at once, the three girls surround Uiharu, watching in anticipation as she brings up some info she gathered by hacking Anti-Skill's server.

"Here it is…" Uihara starts reading the information she found, "This is dated back a few years ago, Anti-Skill was called to the scene in School District 7. Prior to the incident, some residents reported loud music as well as loud voices being heard throughout the night. However on the 4th night there was complete and utter silence."

Misaka frowned, "That must've been the night the Black Eyes Dragon appeared."

"To silence a bunch of loud morons in that one night? Even I have to admit that's pretty impressive." Kuroko begrudgingly admits.

"Seriously cool! Keep reading Uiharu!" Saten prompts.

"Okay, okay, hold on." Uiharu said, "When the residents noticed how quiet it got they figured it was Anti-Skill, but an Anti-Skill officer admitted that they had been called after Skill-Out was silenced."

"Who called?" Misaka was the one to ask.

Uiharu's eyes widened, "I-It says here that the one to both call it in and explain what happened was a middle school boy about 13 years old."

"13 years old?!" The three girls exclaimed in shock.

"Th-That's not all, not only did the boy call them, but he also admitted to being the one that took them down all by himself, which was later confirmed by those in Skill-Out who regained consciousness in the hospital." Uiharu continues.

"Ha! Told you!" Saten said.

Misaka was getting a feeling that was all too familiar, "What was the boy's name?"

Uiharu waits on answering her as she brings up a picture. It wasn't just her that was shocked, when she saw the picture, but Misaka was also affected.

"Name: Kamijō Tōma…" Uiharu breaths.

Saten and Kuroko look back and forth between the two, "Uh, do you guys know him?"

"Yes! He's the one that saved me and that little girl during the bomber incident! Whatever his ability is it was enough the keep the blast away from us!" Uiharu tells them.

Misaka didn't know how to feel right now, _'That idiot took down all those Skill-Out guys by himself?'_

"There's more, after this according to Anti-Skill reported that those in Skill-Out who were defeated by him referred to him as—"

"The Black Eyes Dragon." Misaka finishes.

Uiharu nods before skimming for some more information, "They don't have anything else listed here other than them wanting to recruit him because of his ability that negates Esper abilities."

"Just like that urban legend! I knew it was real!" Saten once again shouts in triumph.

"I don't believe it…" Kuroko could only stare at what she read on the screen.

_'He can negate other abilities, but—'_

"Wait, where are you going, Onee-sama?!" Kuroko calls out to Misaka, who was already out the door.

Misaka was running out the door and towards the street, 'That guy! Just what else is he hiding?!'

**Windowless Building**

Aleister Crowley smiles to himself, complementing the Uiharu girl for her impressive hacking skills. However, that will be the only information she's allowed to see. He will not allow for anyone else, especially her to know anything else about the boy.

Only he knows everything about Kamijō Tōma, for after all…

The boy was his, from the moment he planned to have him come to Academy City.

"How will you handle this Level Upper incident, I wonder...Kamijō Tōma?" Aleister wonders with amusing curiosity.

**JonaGarden**

"Yummy! Yummy! Yummy for my tummy!" Index chants, eating some more food.

Enshū has already finished her lunch and was just sipping her drink, just like Kamijō.

"Is it good?" Enshū asks this with a smile.

Index eagerly nods, mouth full of food.

"Eat as much as you like, Index." Kamijō said.

"I will!" Index declared as she continued to eat.

Enshū stares at Index, "Don't think we have to worry about her not having room for dinner."

She's right about that, Kamijō muses. If he didn't know any better he'd say the girl's ability was to eat everything in sight.

Maybe the reason she eats so much is because of the grimoires stored in her head.

Out of the corner of his eye he spotted some random guys staring right at him. Great, more thugs with a grudge.

_'Such misfortune.'_ Too much to ask for a quiet day for once, isn't it?

"I'm gonna go out for a little walk, can you guys wait here for me to come back?" Kamijō asks them.

Even without having to say it, his sister understood what he really meant, "Sure."

Index stopped eating as Kamijō got up from the table, "Where are you going, Tōma?"

"Out for a bit, I'll be back." With a pat on her head, he heads out of the eatery, but he wasn't alone. The same guys from before were following him, he already knew this to be the case, which is why he lead them to a certain area where the money stealing vending machine was.

Releasing a tired sigh, Kamijō turns to the thugs that followed and have them an annoyed look.

"Nothing personal…"

* * *

She didn't know where she was going, and didn't care. That idiot has some serious explaining to do!

As she ran past the broken vending machine, she abruptly stopped. Standing there, surrounded by the beaten up bodies of some random thugs was none other the very idiot she was looking for.

Getting closer, she was able to hear what he was saying.

"Before you pass out there's something I need to ask you. The Level Upper...where is it, and what does it look like?" Kamijō politely demanded.

The one thug that was still conscious shivered before spilling his guts, "The Level Upper...it's a song."

A...song?

So the legendary item is just a song?

Kamijō seemed satisfied with the confession, "A Song, huh? Yeah, that makes sense." Releasing the guy, he looked unconcerned when he passed out.

Since the Level Upper affects and Espers brainwaves, it makes sense that the Level Upper would be something that stimulates the brain.

"What do you think you're doing?" Misaka demands, walking closer to him.

The urge to sigh was looking pretty tempting, but opted not to. He had enough fighting for one day.

"Are you going to answer me?" Misaka demands again.

Raising a brow at the demand, he gives her a response, "Is that really any of your business?"

"Wha—?!" She sputtered

Ignoring her sputtering, he searches the pockets of the thug he interrogated. There in his left pocket was a music player, scrolling through it, he found what he was looking for.

**TITLE: Level Upper**

**ARTIST: UNKNOWN**

_'Guess he wasn't bluffing, it really is a song.'_ Placing the music player down next to the thug, he takes out the guys cell phone from his other pocket.

Dialing the number to Anti-Skill he waits for the call to connect, "Hello? This is Kamijō Tōma and I like to report an attempted assault."

Misaka sweat drops, 'He's calling Anti-Skill?' Well, it shouldn't come as a surprise, as he did it before from what the information Uiharu found confirmed.

He probably does this a lot.

"Okay, thank you and have a nice day." Hanging up the phone, he places it on the ground.

"Time to head back, I've let those two alone long enough." Kamijō said to no one in particular.

"Hey, wait—!" Misaka tries to stop him.

"Sorry, but I've gotta go. I left my sister and ward at JonaGarden." Giving her an apologetic look, he left the area.

She could go after him, but the information she overheard was far more important. The Level Upper was a song that someone intentionally made available online.

_'Just what is going on?'_

Of course...she didn't receive an answer.

* * *

**_Preview_**

_"The Level Upper case continues as questions are finally answered._

_A dear friend becomes both a user and victim of the supposed legendary item."_

_"Next time...+Level Upper Arc Part 2: Mastermind Revealed+_

_"When Science and Magic cross paths…a story is born!"_


	4. Level Upper Arc Part 2: The Mastermind

"You were attacked by some thugs again yesterday?" Index inquires with worried eyes.

He wasn't planning on saying anything to Index, but after she had inquired about why he took off during lunch yesterday, he had no choice but to tell her.

"Yeah...once again they were all from Skill-Out. All of them had used the Level Upper and decided to attack me as a group...again." He explains.

"Obviously, it didn't work. Idiots." Enshū snorts, sipping some of her tea.

The three of them opted to just stay home today. When it was time for lunch they'll go out, but now was relaxation time at home.

Index suddenly tugs in the shirt, "Do you think they'll come back?"

Kamijō thought about it for a moment. He would say "no" but there's a chance Skill-Out will target him again.

"I'd say not likely, but Skill-Out is known for holding grudges and getting some payback. And unfortunately, I'm at the top of their list." He said, giving his honest opinion.

"Did you do something to make them want to hurt you?" She asks innocently.

At her innocent question, Kamijō goes silent.

The actions he caused back when he was just a bratty middle schooler have finally come back to haunt him. But what scares him the most is the thought of both Index and Enshū getting caught in the crossfire. Sure his sister can hold her own in a fight, but unless magic is involved Index can't protect herself.

"Back when I was in middle school," He starts to explain, "I...had a lot of pent up emotions, frustration being one of them. My parents sent me here in the hopes of me having a normal life and making friends since my life outside of Academy City walls wasn't all that great."

Neither girls interrupted him.

"I was sent to live with my current high school teacher Komoe-sensei. A part of me was worried she wouldn't want me to intrude on her life, but she didn't mind at all." He smiled, "She's like a second mom to me, always looking after a brat like me. So when Skill-Out started causing problems for her and the residents...I decided to do something about it."

And do something he did…

Hence how he became known as, "The Black Eyes Dragon."

"One night when I finally got fed up with them causing all that noise with their music and being loud, I snuck out of her apartment and took them down." He confessed.

Tilting her head, Index didn't understand why that was a bad thing, "But what you did wasn't bad. You performed a good deed."

"That's what all the other residents said, too. But...Komoe-sensei was furious with me, Yomikawa-sensei, too." He could still the tear-stained face of his small pink-haired teacher and lecture he got from Yomikawa. She made him run 100 laps for doing something stupid, even though he was thinking about Komoe-sensei.

"What she said was right, my actions have consequences, and I'm paying for it now." He smiles as he says this.

Out of nowhere, both girls give him a hug making him blink a few times.

"I still don't think you did anything wrong, Tōma." Index insists.

"Index is right, you did what you did because you care about people. So please don't beat yourself up over it anymore." Enshū says.

Feeling like he lost the argument, he returns their hug without so much as a word. There's no point in arguing with these two.

***BUZZ***

"Ah, my phone," Kamijō said before taking his phone out to see who it was. When he saw the caller ID he was surprised to say the least.

He answered the phone, "Doc? What's up? Does Enshū have a surprise check up today?"

…

His eyes widen at what the doctor said, "What…?"

**Heaven Canceller's Hospital**

The first time Kamijō came here was back when he was in middle school. He wasn't injured, but Komoe-sensei insisted he come here to get checked out after he had taken down those guys from Skill-Out.

The second time was when he brought Enshū after the "Kihara Incident." The doctor wanted her to come for check ups since her family had experimented on her more times than the spiky haired teen would have liked.

But since they weren't here for that, he could only wonder what they were here for.

"Ah, Kamijō-kun! Here for another one of Enshū-Chan's check ups?" The front receptionist asks with a smile.

He shook his head, "Not this time, the Doc called us for something else this time."

"I see, he's right in his office."

"Thank you."

The three head to the back to where the Heaven Canceller's office is. As they were walking down the hall, a nurse comes passing by them with a patient that looked to be asleep. But if that were the case, then why did the nurse look so worried?

They finally arrived at said man's office. At hearing his door open, he turns in his chair to face them.

"Ah, Gekota!" Index exclaims as she pointed at him.

"Index…" Kamijō said.

"You have to admit he does look like the mascot." Enshū said, siding with Index.

"Listen here, you two…" Kamijō sighs.

Heaven Canceller wasn't offended, after all this wasn't the first time he'd been called by that mascots name.

"Good to see you two are still the same, and who might this young lady be?" He inquires about Index.

Index bows to the man, "Nice to meet you, my names Index Librorum Prohibitorum, but you can just call me Index!"

"Hello to you as well, Index." He greets back politely.

"So what did you call us all here for, Doc?" Kamijō asks.

Heaven Canceller looks at the computer screen, "Take a look at this and tell me what you see."

Doing what they're told, the three of them observe the computer screen and see what appear to be brainwaves.

"What is it?" Index tilts her head curiously at the screen.

Kamijō hums in thought, "They look like brainwaves."

"They are…" Enshū's eyes widen as she understood what she was seeing, "It can't be...the brainwaves...if you line them up all together, the waves match!"

"This has something to do with the Level Upper doesn't it, Doc." Kamijō connected the dots fairly quickly.

"That's right, these are the brainwave patterns of the Level Upper victims." Heaven Canceller informs.

"Victims? What happened…" Kamijō remembers the patient they passed in the hall in their way here. At first it looked like the person was sleeping, but in reality…

"A coma…"

Heaven Canceller nods, "That's correct, those who have used the Level Upper have now become victims. They are now known as Level Upper coma patients."

Index looks sad for them, "How many have fallen into coma's?"

"So far, we count 13 but with some of the Skill-Out patients being admitted here too that number will go up." He tells them, giving Kamijō a look.

"Self-defense, Doc."

"I'm not saying it wasn't. Anyway, brainwaves are unique for every individual, which means it's impossible for two people to have similar patterns. But as you can probably already tell, forcibly altering the brainwaves would also influence the body." Heaven Canceller explains.

"All of this…" Kamijō frowns, "For what purpose?"

Heaven Canceller shook his head, "I wish I had an answer for you, but I'm afraid I don't."

Hoping the doctor would have an answer for them was too much to hope for.

"Falling into a coma is a side effect of using the Level Upper. This might be what the mastermind wants or it was unplanned." Enshū was thinking about this seriously.

"Doc, is there anyone you know who could possibly help?" Kamijō asks.

"There is someone, her name is Kiyama Harumi. She's a gifted neurologist, you might have more luck asking her." Heaven Canceller tells him.

"Do you know where she is?"

"Here at the hospital from my understanding. She's looking over the coma patients." Heaven Canceller.

Kamijō looked down at his right hand, "Be honest with me Doc. You called me here in hopes my Imagine Breaker might be able to help them wake up, didn't you?"

The old man didn't deny it, "Yes, that was the reason I called you here for, but…"

Chances are even Imagine Breaker wouldn't be able to help.

"Anyway, we should start by asking this Kiyama Harumi person her input on this." Kamijō said.

"Good luck." Heaven Canceller said to them.

Bowing, the three leave his office in search for Kiyama Harumi. Kamijō stopped a nurse to ask her if she k owns a woman by the name of Kiyama Harumi. The kind nurse nodded and points them in the direction of where she is.

Just like Heaven Canceller said, she was with the coma patients.

_'Hm? Wait, she looks familiar…'_ Kamijō stares.

Sensing she was being watched, the woman slowly turns to them. Kamijō was right, this is the same woman who stopped to ask them for help, only to strip out of nowhere.

"Ah, the indecent stripper lady!" Index points at Kiyama.

"It really is her…" Kamijō stared.

"She isn't stripping now." Enshū points out.

Slightly bewildered, Kiyama asks them a question, "It's been awhile, but what are you three doing here?"

"Well...we were looking to pick your brain about the Level Upper and those who fell into comas after using it." Kamijō said.

"Sure…" Kiyama says softly.

**Judgement 177th Branch Office**

"There, all done." Uiharu said after downloading the music file onto the computer. Kuroko had dealt with some random individual that used the Level Upper. The informant said that the Level Upper was a song. They imagined it to be many things, but not a song.

"Being able to level up just by simply listening to a song? How can something like that be possible?" Uiharu didn't fully believe it.

"I don't fully understand it either, but that's what the informant told me." Kuroko said.

"I'm not sure I believe it." Uiharu said, sounding skeptical before getting an idea, "But what if I did listen to it and became an even stronger rapper than you are! That would certainly open up a whole new world of possibilities to me."

Kuroko leans down with a smirk, "And what would these possibilities be?"

"Ah!" Uiharu gasped in surprise.

"Perhaps you should go ahead and give it a try so we can find out?" Kuroko said, standing behind Uiharu with a pleasant smile on her face, about to place some headphones in the girl's ears.

Uiharu grabs the teleporters wrists in an attempt to prevent such an action, "I'm kidding! Just kidding! I would never do that, I promise!"

***RING***

"Hear that? Sounds like your phone is ringing!" Uiharu frantically says to her.

Letting out a huff, Kuroko answers her phone. Uiharu breathes a sigh of relief.

"Yes, yes, I understand." She hangs up before addressing Uiharu, "It seems we've got another situation on our hands. Contact Kiyama-sensei will you please?" She says, running out the door.

"Right, I'm on it." Uiharu said.

**Back at the Hospital**

"I see, so you have a personal interest in the Level Upper." Kiyama said.

"Yeah, constantly getting attacked by Skill-Out who've somehow started developing abilities makes you question how that happened." Kamijō said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Ah, Skill-Out are indeed troublesome. But to answer your question from earlier, it is possible for someone to raise their ability by simply listening to a song. With a Testament, maybe." Kiyama explains.

"Wow, with a Testament? Really?" Kamijō said, sounding amazed.

"What's a Testament?" Index questioned.

"A learning device that's used to install information into the human brain." Enshū answered.

"Oh…"

Kiyama looked thoughtful, "Only someone who knows the human brain inside and out could have created the Level Upper."

Kamijō also looked thoughtful about what she just said, 'Someone who knows the human brain inside and out...well enough to create the Level Upper and use it to change a person's brainwaves to match their own.' Standing up he smiles at Kiyama, "Thanks for talking with us, Kiyama-sensei."

Smiling, Kiyama also stands up, "Don't mention it."

"By the way, this is gonna sound random, but were you ever a teacher?" He asked her out of the blue.

She was a little surprised by his random inquiry, but shows a small smile, "Yes...I was in the past. How did you know?"

"I didn't, I'm not sure how to explain this, but you just have this teacher vibe about you. It's the same feeling I get when I'm around Komoe-sensei." He said this with a smile.

"She sounds like an interesting person. I think I'd like to meet her one day." Kiyama smiles.

"I think the two of you would get along great, but you might be surprised by her appearance." He was amused just thinking about it.

"Oh?" She raised a brow at that.

"Could I have your number in case I have some more questions?" He asked her.

"Sure."

The two exchanged numbers, with that done the three left the room and left the hospital.

"She was really nice." Index smiles.

"Kiyama-sensei is a nice person, but…" Kamijō trailed off.

"But?" Enshū repeats, urging him to continue.

There's no doubt in his mind that Kiyama Haruka is a very kind person, but he felt odd when talking to her just now compared to when they first met.

It was almost as if…

Abruptly, he stops walking, promoting the other two to do the same.

"What's wrong?" Index asked.

But he didn't hear her.

_"There is someone, her name is Kiyama Harumi. She's a gifted neurologist."_

_"Only someone who knows the human brain inside and out could have created the Level Upper."_

_'Someone who knows the human brain inside and out...like a gifted neurologist!'_

"We're going to the library! Enshū get ready to hack into the databank." He tells her.

Instead of questioning him, she gives him an understanding nod. Index was still confused about why they had to go to the library.

"I'll explain when we get there, Index!" Kamijō promises as they rush to the library.

**With Misaka & Kuroko**

Having finished their conversation on the hospital rooftop, the two Tokiwadai students had come back down. As they were walking down the hall, the two were stopped by the Heaven Canceller.

As he explained to Kamijō before, he did the same with them. The two were determined to find the person responsible for creating the Level Upper and arrest them. For Saten's sake, they have to!

Uiharu had already gone off to meet Kiyama-sensei, which according to Heaven Canceller had already left after talking with someone else. He didn't say who it was, however.

"Okay, if this does match a certain person's brain pattern then all we have to do is have Uiharu search through the databank, and—" Kuroko stops as she just realized something, "Ugh...right, Uiharu isn't here to do that."

"Right, that's a problem." Misaka rubs the back of her head with a sigh.

"What's all the moaning and groaning about in here?" An unknown female voice questions coming up to them.

"Oh, Konori-senpai!" Kuroko exclaims, "Well since you asked…"

**Library**

Enshū was tapping fast on one of the libraries terminals. Hacking into their computers was easy enough for her, and she never leaves a trace after she's done.

Maybe her Kihara genes have something to do with it.

Index was watching Enshū work with sparkly eyes of interest. She doesn't know much about computers, but seeing this was amazing to her.

Kamijō was silent as he watched his sister work. If possible, he was really hoping he was wrong, but his instincts were telling him that he was right on point.

Enshū stopped typing, "I found it." She announced.

"What did you find?" Index asked.

"Brain wave patterns Agreement rate is 99%." As she says this something else comes up on the screen, this time with a picture attached.

Index gasps at the picture while Kamijō frowned.

There she was on screen…

Kiyama Harumi.

"It can't be…" Index says in disbelief.

"Registered name...Kiyama Harumi." Kamijō frowned.

**Back at Judgement 177th Branch Office**

Kamijō's group weren't the only ones that found Kiyama Harumi to be the culprit.

"No way...is this for real?" Kuroko stares at the screen in utter disbelief.

"All this time...it's been her?" Misaka said before realizing something.

"Uiharu!" Both Kuroko and Misaka realize.

Konori looks over at them, confused, "What do you mean? What about her?"

"Earlier she said she was on her way to Kiyama-sensei's office!" Misaka tells her.

"What's she doing?" Konori wonders with a worried expression.

Kuroko was already calling Uiharu's cell. The call connected, "Uiharu—!" She grit her teeth when she got no answer, "I'm not getting through to her!"

Konori stood up quickly, "Contact Anti-Skill, and have them take the doctor into custody! But, be sure to warn them of a possible hostage!"

"Right!" Kuroko said, having contacted them.

"I'm coming along, too!" Misaka states.

"Although I don't normally like getting civilians involved, having someone with your power around could be beneficial." Konori said.

With a nod, Misaka was already out the door. She would have to save Uiharu by herself, since Kuroko's injuries still haven't healed.

**Back with Kamijō's Group**

"But why would she do this? A nice person like her must have her reasons!" Index said.

"I think so, too. That's why I'm looking more into her background. There must be something in her personal file that will tell us!" Enshū was determined to find something that could help them.

Kamijō was on the phone with Heaven Canceller.

"I see, thanks anyway, Doc." He thanks, hanging up.

Heaven Canceller didn't know where Kiyama currently was, but they'll find her.

"Found something...you'll want to see this, Nii-chan." Enshū said with a solemn tone.

Kamijō comes over and reads Kiyama's personal file and looked pissed.

"Dammit! Just look at the lengths he was willing to go!"

Enshū said nothing.

Index tugs on his sleeve, "What now, Tōma?"

His answer was simple.

"We find her and put a stop to everything she's done."

Index nods, smiling.

"Enshū, think you can find her?"

"I can."

Now that they know her personal history, they can understand why she created the Level Upper. But they can't just stand here and do nothing. They'll stop her and wake everyone up.

That's a promise.

* * *

_**Preview**_

_"The mastermind has been revealed. A horrible incident from the past comes to light._

_Those who fight for what they believe in gather for the sake of those they love."_

_"Next Time…+Level Upper Arc Final: AIM Burst+_

_"When Science and Magic cross paths…a story is born!"_


	5. Level Upper Arc Final: AIM Burst

**Kanzaki will be added to his harem, but the first three ladies in charge will be Misaki, Itsuwa, and Othinus. Misaki will be the leader of the harem, of course since she is the Queen Bee. Author's Note below.**

* * *

After finding Kiyama's current location, the three-headed out to where she was. They probably weren't the only one's looking for her either. Anti-Skill was probably on their way to scene or already there.

"I can't believe it was Kiyama-san that created the Level Upper the whole time." Index says sadly.

Enshū frowned, "She's a good manipulator. Acting as though she had no idea about the Level Upper and it's capabilities when the whole time she was the one that created it, to begin with."

True she has them fooled, but Kamijō could tell that deep down she knows that her actions are wrong, but can't afford to stop now. After reading her background...it's no wonder she created the Level Upper.

Leaning in the backseat of a taxi car that they called, Kamijō expressed his own thoughts.

"In her mind, she knows that what she did was wrong, but...at the same time she believes this is the only way to save what she holds dear." He said.

She probably tried to find another solution, too. But knowing the higher-ups of Academy City they rejected whatever proposal she had in mind.

That might have been the final breaking point.

After that, she no longer had anything to lose. Hence, the Level Upper was created.

"Even so...she still needs to be stopped." Enshū declares.

Smiling, he puts a hand on top of her head, "That's right!"

"We'll stop Kiyama-san!" Index also declared.

***BOOM***

The car came to a sudden stop once an explosion was heard. Looks like they found Kiyama-sensei, and from that level of explosion, she must be fighting someone.

"Thanks for the ride, and keep the change! You might wanna get out of here, too!" Kamijō tells the driver, ignoring the man's questions as he and the other two got out of the car.

"Is she fighting someone?!" Index questioned.

"That would be my guess!" Kamijō answered.

The gate entrance to the bridge was already open, making it easy for them to get through. Once they made it to the top...what they saw can be best described as a massacre. Anti-Skill had been completely wiped out, and half the bridge was collapsed.

"What happened here…?" Index said, looking worried.

Kamijō looked at the downed officers and saw Yomikawa-sensei was among them. As he was about to run over to her, the sound of electricity got his attention.

"Electricity? Could it be Railgun?" Enshū inquires to herself.

"Railgun?" Index said.

"That's Mikoto Misaka's title. Known as "The Railgun of Tokiwadai." Kamijō explains to her, "She must be fighting Kiyama-sensei."

"Do we help her?" Index asked him.

He shook his head, "Don't worry about her, she's a Level 5 and can handle her own in a fight." Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Enshū walking over toward half the street bridge, "Enshū?"

"I...Kiyama-sensei suffered on the count of my previous family's lack of humanity. I'm going down there to talk to her." Enshū resolved. While she was no longer considered a Kihara, there was still the feeling of guilt in her chest that refused to be uplifted.

Kamijō wanted to tell her that her family's sins were not her own, but knew the girl was stubborn and wouldn't listen. Instead of telling her otherwise, he dies something else.

"All right! Go down and talk to Kiyama-sensei, but be careful." He tells her.

"I will." With a nod, she jumps down.

Index then looks over at the blue car and sees someone, "Tōma, there's a person inside that car!"

"What?!" The two run over and indeed do see a person inside. It was a young girl who looked like a middle schooler, with a flower crown on her head.

He messed with the car door a little and noticed it was unlocked. Opening it, he shakes the girl, "Hey, wake up!"

The girl groaned and finally opened her eyes. She blinked a few times in order to see clearly and gasped slightly as she saw Kamijō and Index in her field of vision.

"Wait, you're…" Uiharu starts to say.

"Are you okay?" Kamijō asks.

Feeling the fog in her head clear up, she carefully steps out of the car, with the help of Kamijō.

"Yeah, I think I'm okay…" She said.

Uiharu looks at the carnage around them, "Half the streets been blown away…"

"That was probably Kiyama-sensei's work. Same thing with Anti-Skill." Kamijō said.

Uiharu snaps her head in his direction, "That's right, where is she?!"

"Down there with Misaka and my sister. We just got here." He said.

As if proving his point, they all hear a groan and go over towards the edge. They looked down and saw Misaka, Kiyama Harumi, and Enshū.

Misaka was startled when she saw that guy's sister come out of nowhere.

"Wha—What are you doing here?!" She demands.

Enshū just looks at her before turning her attention back over to Kiyama.

"Kiyama-sensei...what happened to the children wasn't your fault."

Uiharu and Misaka's eyes widen at her words. Kiyama meanwhile let out a bitter laugh, "How do you figure? I had a hand in it just as much as they did."

Enshū was about to say something, but Misaka cut her off.

"What...what were they doing?"

Misaka questioned.

Kiyama slowly stood up, wobbling a little but managed to keep her balance, "On the record or off of it? Officially, it was designed as a test into controlling AIM Diffusion Fields, but...the real study was on the effects of pushing an ability beyond its natural limit."

Misaka was speechless.

"They overstimulated the children's AIM Diffusion Fields in order to study runaway abilities first hand." Kiyama confessed.

"Then…" Misaka said.

"They were intentionally manipulated to run out of control…" Kiyama grit her teeth, clutching the front of her head, "But I didn't realize what was going on until after it happened!"

Enshū and Kamijō were beyond angry, but then again...tragedy always strikes when a Kihara is involved in anything related to science.

"Experiments...on the children…?" Misaka couldn't believe her ears. How could Academy City allow something like this to happen?!

"Innocent little kids...and even after all this time, they still haven't woken up." Kiyama reveals turning to face them with tears in her eyes, "We stole their youth from them and for what?! To turn them into lab rats?!"

Kamijō runs down there, with Index and Uiharu running after him.

"But, if something that terrible happened, why didn't you report it to Anti-Skill?" Misaka questioned.

"That wouldn't have worked." Enshū said, getting Misaka's attention, "Anti-Skill wouldn't have been able to do anything. They follow the orders of Academy City, so if they were told not to immobilize...they would follow that order."

Misaka was about to say something, but kept her mouth shut.

"23 times."

"Huh?"

Kiyama elaborates "That's how many times I requested to use Tree Diagram. If I could just get access to it, I could use it to find a way to retrieve them. I could run some simulations to uncover the true cause of the accident. Tree Diagram is the greatest super computer in Academy City, if I had it, I could have brought those children back...I could have set them free to laugh, run, and play in the park like children are supposed to…"

"I was always turned down! 23 times they said, "no!" Don't you get it?! The Board of Directors was in on it! Like that girl said, there's no way Anti-Skill would act!" As dark as the truth is...it's still the truth.

"There must've been a better solution than this!" Misaka protests.

"WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW?!" Kiyama screamed at her.

Misaka took a step back.

"I would do anything to save them. Anything in the entire world! The whole city can hate and revile me, I don't care! I'm not going to let anything stop me now!" Kiyama declared before feeling a painful stab through the head, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Hey, what's wrong…?" Misaka asked out of concern.

Enshū was worried, _'Is it the network?'_

Kiyama has both hands on each side of her head, "The network...its out of control…" that's all she said before falling forward, but Enshū was able to catch her before she could hit the ground.

"What just happened?!" Misaka questioned.

Her answer came in the form of something coming out the back of Kiyama's head. The strange entity took the form of a giant levitating fetus with a halo upon its head and tentacles-like green wings, its body was bluish in color and was covered in a nearly transparent brown layer.

Misaka could only stare in disbelief, and slight fear at the unknown entity that reared its ugly head from Kiyama's head.

Enshū was just as shocked.

Kamijō, Index, and Uiharu finally make it down to then and stopped once they saw the strange thing.

"Oh, gosh, what's that?" Uiharu stares.

Index eyes widened, "It...it looks like an Angel…"

Uiharu turns to her, "Angel?"

"Something tells me that's not an Angel…" Kamijō comments.

Misaka gulped, "A fetus…" she said, still staring at the unknown creature

The fetus opens its eyes, freaking everyone out even more.

It let out a shrill shriek that chilled them to the bone. Such a horrible sound, it was almost heartbreaking! As it wailed even louder, it caused some rubble to fly at Misaka and the others. Misaka used her electrical powers to protect herself, while Kamijō grabs the two girls and hides them behind a support beam.

Misaka tried attacking it with her electricity, but that proved to be useless as it regenerated, two long arms sprouting from its back where she hit it. But not only did the creature grow two extra limbs, but grew in size.

"Damn, it's getting bigger!" She curses.

Index peeks her head out to look at the creature once more, "That creature...just what is it?"

"Honestly? I have no idea." Kamijō was unsure what the hell this creature was, but that doesn't matter right now.

The creatures begins to throw ice shards at Misaka, who dodges while running away at the same time.

"Hurry, Misaka!" Uiharu urges her to hurry over to them.

"Why are you here, Uiharu?! The same goes for you two guys, too!" Misaka yells at Kamijō and Index. She stops running and turns back, destroying the icicles the creature sent her way.

Enshū was protecting Kiyama from getting hurt, as she shielded the woman.

Misaka pants a little before addressing Uiharu, "Are you okay, Uiharu?"

Uiharu comes out of hiding a little, "Yes, I'm fine—"

"You're lucky! You shouldn't have come down here! And you," She said, addressing Kamijō this time, "How could you let her come down here!"

"Wait, Misaka—" Uiharu starts to defend Kamijō.

"She wasn't in any danger, I wasn't going to let anything happen to her." Kamijō promised, "Besides, dealing with whatever that thing is takes first priority."

Misaka looked like she wanted to say something, but decided that he was right and was about to attack the creature again, but stopped.

Index saw it just hovering around, "What's wrong with it now?"

"A random rampage?" Misaka guesses blindly.

All of them watched as the creature moved its arms around, while still wailing. Almost as if…

"Look at it, the way it's moving...almost like it's in pain or something." Uiharu stares in sympathy.

Index looks sadly at the creature, "It is in pain…"

Enshū felt Kiyama begin to stir in her arms.

"Are you okay, Kiyama-sensei?" She asked in a worried tone.

Kiyama didn't say anything at first, still trying to fully wake up and comprehend just what happened.

Back up on the destroyed street, Yomikawa and a few other Anti-Skill officers saw the creature grow in size. Tessō looked up at the creature with pure fear in her eyes.

Yomikawa grit her teeth, "We'll have to do what we can with the men we have left! Use of live ammo is authorized! Fire!"

The few members of Anti-Skill began to pelt the creature with bullets in hopes of stopping it somehow, but this proved to be a failure. As the more they shot and injured it, the bigger it grew.

Down below the street, Kiyama laughs as Enshū helps her stand on her feet. The researcher leaned against the support beam for support, her back resting against it.

"How incredible, who would have thought something like that could ever be created?" She said, humorously as he eyes the creature that was now hovering above the street, "I can just imagine the recognition I'll get for this."

"Kiyama-sensei…" Enshū said, softly.

"The network is utterly out of my hands at this point. That's it, I no longer have any hope in bringing back those children I helped to destroy…" she closes her eyes sadly as she says this, "They're lost forever."

"Please, you can't give up!" Uiharu tells her.

Kiyama was surprised to see the girl say this to her. She was even more surprised when Enshū grabbed the woman's wrist, as though encouraging her not to give up.

"Those children can still be saved, so don't give up, Kiyama-sensei." Kamijō speaks up.

"Please don't just throw in the towel like this! You can still help them!" Index said, trying to encourage her.

_'Such strange children.'_ She thinks to herself, not sure why they were going out of their way to say this.

"Is that an AIM Diffusion Field?" Misaka asked.

"It's most likely a collection of them, yes, that's it. Although I think it would be more appropriate to call it an AIM Burst. The AIM Diffusion Fields of 10,000 people all bundled up together in the Level Upper network. They acted as the catalyst to bring to life the monster of latent consciousness. Simply stated, that thing up there is a collection of 10,000 children's thoughts."

The AIM creature once again shrieked, growing bigger as it did so.

"In a way, I pity it." Uiharu sadly says.

Misaka frowned, turning her attention over to Kiyama, "What now? How do we go about stopping it?"

"Are you seriously asking me that question? Makes no difference what I say because you'll never trust me." Kiyama said, bitterly.

Suddenly, a hand was in her face, much to her confusion. She turns to Uiharu, who gives her a firm expression.

"What about this? You're the one who took my handcuffs off aren't you?" Uiharu questions her.

Kiyama looks away, "That still doesn't mean anything. You can't possibly trust me just because of that."

To her surprise again, Uiharu stood before her this time.

"That's not all," Uiharu says before proceeding to look at her with a smile, "I know you're sincere about wanting to help bring those children back. I can hear it in your voice. I trust you."

At that moment, Uiharu's face was replaced by the little girl from Kiyama's memories.

"I completely trust you, sensei!"

Kiyama's eyes widen.

"Flower girl's right," Index steps in, "You're a very kind person in spite of creating the Level Upper and putting those who used it into a coma."

"Index is right. You are a kind person." Kamijō agreed with the nun.

"It's okay to ask for help." Enshū said, "And don't worry, because onii-chan will be able to do something about it."

Misaka and Uiharu understood that she was talking about her brothers ability. Misaka's already seen it first hand, as has Uiharu, but she doesn't fully understand it.

Kamijō stands before Kiyama, determined, "I can hold it off while you figure out how to stop it."

Kiyama stares into his determined eyes before looking down, "There might be a way."

Misaka and Uiharu listen.

"Think about it, the AIM Burst is a monster created by the Level Upper network. If the network were brought down somehow...it might stop it." Kiyama theorizes.

Uiharu takes something out of her skirt pocket, "The Level Upper treatment program!"

"It might not work, but it's a shot at least." Kiyama said.

Uiharu looks hopeful.

"That's a gamble we'll have to take," Kamijō said, "Flower Girl can work in the program, Enshū make sure nothing happens to her."

"Okay."

"Index, stay with Kiyama-sensei." He didn't want to risk her getting hurt in any way. Staying with Kiyama should keep her safe and out of harm's way.

"I'll keep Kiyama-sensei safe!" Index declared.

Misaka gives her a look, "You?"

Index frowns at her, "What are you trying to say, Short Hair?!"

Uiharu sweat-drops, "Short Hair…?"

"Not important. Me and Misaka will handle that thing. Anti-Skill won't last long." Kamijō said, sounding worried about them.

Misaka didn't try to dissuade him, "While we're doing that, you get that program to Anti-Skill." She said to Uiharu.

Uiharu looks determined as she grips the chip tightly in her grasp, "Let's do it!"

Nodding, they all get to work. Index stays with Kiyama, who stands there looking bewildered. Where do these children get their confidence from?

"Incredible, there are still people out there who are willing to trust without any reason to." She said with a smile.

"That's because you're a person worth trusting." Index tells her in an honest tone.

Back with Anti-Skill, the monster had just sent Yomikawa flying.

"Captain!" Tessō cried out in worry. Her attention wasn't on her fallen captain for long as the creatures tentacle came towards her, "N-No...s-stay away...her away!" She yelled, shooting at it with her eyes closed. Her rifle stops shooting and she opens her eyes to realize she no longer has any ammo left.

The tentacle regenerates, this time sprouting an eyeball with small hands attached to it.

Tessō could only stand there and quake in fear. As it comes close to touching her, she's grabbed out of the way by Kamijō, while Misaka electrocutes the tentacle.

"What were you just there for? That monster could have killed you!" Misaka scolds the woman.

"Are you okay, Tessō-san?" Kamijō asks as he gently sets her down.

"Y-Yes...eh, w-wait—is that you Kamijō-kun?!" Tessō exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's been awhile." He said, nervously.

Tessō was about to say something else, but then noticed Misaka, "Wh-Who are you? A civilian shouldn't be here, it's too dangerous!"

Sighing, Misaka puts her hands on her hips, "Geez, everybody just has to keep calling me a civilian, it's starting to get old. And how come you don't say that to him?" She gestures over to Kamijō

His response was to simply blink.

"You shouldn't be here either, Kamijō-kun! But it's pointless to say that to you." She sighs.

"That seems to be a theme with me." He admits.

"And as for you, you should get away from here right now—ah!" Kamijō grabs her and once again moves her out of harm's way. Misaka shocks the tentacle again.

"You're the one who should get going," Misaka says to Tessō, "That thing won't come this way unless you provoke it with more shooting."

"Even so...we can't just stand down and do nothing, either." Yomikawa grunts, still in pain after being knocked back earlier.

She points behind the creature, "You see that over there? That's an experimental nuclear reactor."

"What?!" Misaka gasps.

"That's not good." Kamijō frowned.

"Hey, what are those girls doing?!" Tessō brings their attention over to Uiharu and Enshū.

"That's the girl, Kiyama held hostage. The other one is Kamijō's sister." Yomikawa said, What is she doing?"

"Uiharu's not being held against her will anymore, and she's not getting away." Misaka tells them.

"Enshū's acting as her bodyguard just in case something happens." Kamijō explains to them Enshū's role.

"They could use some more though." Misaka points out as she looks at Yomikawa and Tessō, "We could use your help."

Misaka and Kamijō stood before the monster as the electro master got its attention by slicing a tentacle off with iron sand.

"You'll be fighting us from now on!" She said to it.

A beam of light was shot at her, but Kamijō got in front of her and blocked it.

"Not gonna make this easy are you?" Misaka said to it.

It fired another ball of light, but this time it split it off into beams of light that was coming at Uiharu and Enshū. Luckily, Enshū lifts up the girl and jumps out high in the air on another flight of stairs.

"Not hurt?" Enshū asks her.

Uiharu stares at her in awe, "Y-Yes, I'm fine...oh!" She looks down at the program and smiles, "Good, it's not broken. I have to hurry...or it'll be too late for everyone."

Understanding Uiharu's feelings, Enshū sets her down as they begin running up the stairs again. They finally make it up the stairs and onto the street, another beam of light heads right for them, but this time both girls were protected by Yomikawa and Tessō.

"Are you okay?" Tessō asked them.

"Honestly, you kids these days so the craziest things." Yomikawa comments.

"Do you have the treatment program?" Tessō asked Uiharu.

"Yes, it's safe." She said.

"We'll cover you two, hurry!" Yomikawa ordered.

"Yes, Yomikawa-sensei." Enshū said.

Just as the creature was about to shoot another beam at them, Misaka gets its attention back on them with another electric strike.

"Didn't you hear what I told you? I said, you're going to face us. We're your biggest problem now." Misaka said to it

"Better to keep your eyes on us." Kamijō was ready to fight.

The monster shrieked but Kamijō didn't give it time to try and attack them again.

"Ryūken: Gensō Panchi (Dragon Fist: Illusion Punch)!" His whole fist flowed blue as he punches forward, punching a whole through its side.

Kiyama notices something as she stands there watching them fight.

"The injury...it's not regenerating?"

"That's Tōma's ability." Index casually said as though that explained everything.

"His ability?" Kiyama questioned, but her tone was both curious and wanting more clarification.

Misaka slams a hand in the ground, generating electricity and creating iron sand. She created an iron sand whip, blocking its beam attack and slicing its arm, but it regenerates soon after, much to her annoyance.

"This could go on forever." She frowns but then notices that the spot where Kamijō hit it didn't regenerate.

_'His ability must be preventing that spot from healing! Then—!'_ She thinks.

Kamijō sees it about to attack again with a few ice shards hovered above it and acted again.

"Fū Ryū no Ken (Fist of the Wind Dragon)!" Generating wind around his fist, he punches forward, creating a whirlwind that shattered all the ice shards before they could even reach them.

Misaka's mouth was wide open at Kamijō's display of power. Her mind was chaotic to say the least, but one thought went through her mind.

_'And he still claims to be a Level 0…?!'_

Kiyama also couldn't believe what she was seeing, _'Incredible...who on earth is this boy?!'_

Unfortunately, this distraction was what the monster was waiting for as one of its tentacles grabbed her ankle and threw her away.

"Misaka!" Kamijō yelled.

Thinking quickly, Misaka generates electricity through her feet and sticks to the wall behind her. She quickly jumps out of the way as the creature slammed into the wall.

"You good?" Kamijō asked her.

Slowly, she stands to her feet, "Yeah…"

The monster turns its attention to them.

**With Uiharu and Enshū**

Uiharu was doing her thing, while Enshū, Yomikawa, and Tessō watched her.

"All right, transfer is complete!" Uiharu report to them.

Smiling, Yomikawa yells into her cellphone, "You heard the girl! I'll take full responsibility, just play it damn it!"

The song broadcast through the speakers as everyone in Academy City heard it play. It played through every speaker, from eateries, alleys, and hospitals.

**With Kamijō and Misaka**

Misaka's ears perked up at the sound of a song being played. Kamijō also heard it and smiled, _'They did it.'_

Suddenly, something comes out of the smoke and wraps around Misaka.

"Crap!" She curses.

"Damn!"

There was no need for Kamijō to intervene as Misaka electrocuted another tentacle, and keeping it from hitting her. She was expecting it to regenerate again...but it didn't.

_'Its not growing back. That music—it's the treatment program! You did it, Uiharu!'_ Misaka mentally cheers.

With a smirk, Misaka's whole body sparked, "Sorry about this, but it's game over for you now!" As she said this, she sent a powerful force of electricity at the monster, making it turn brown color as it fell to the ground, releasing her from its grip.

"Nice work." Kamijō complimented.

A small blush tinted her cheeks, "You weren't so bad yourself...that was impressive." She was honestly impressed by just how strong he is.

"Don't relax!" Kiyama warns them as she got close enough to them, "This isn't over yet!"

"What do you think you're doing here?!" Misaka tells at her.

"Stay back Index, it's not safe!" Kamijō warns her.

"Right!" Index said.

There was movement out of the corner of Kamijō's eye as he saw the creature begin to move once more, "It's moving again!"

"No way!" Misaka said.

"The network may have been disrupted, but remember that's a mass of 10,000 people's thoughts created by AIM Diffusion Fields! You can't think about it like an ordinary creature!" Kiyama explains to them.

"This is so not what we bargained for...what are we supposed to do?" Misaka asked her before turning back towards the creature.

"The nucleus! There has to be a nucleus where the fields have embedded somewhere inside! That's the key, find a way to destroy it!" Kiyama answers.

_**"Is that it…?"**_ A distorted voice questions

Index stares, "Its...talking…"

"That voice just now...it was Saten's." Misaka recognized.

_**"Are Level 0's permanently defective?"**_ Saten's distorted voice questioned.

_**"That's what they think."**_

_**"I can't stand it."**_

_**"It's hopeless."**_

_**"As a Level 0–"**_

_**"—You probably wouldn't understand."**_

_**"How miserable everyday is for us."**_

_**"We come here with so many expectations...and nothing."**_

Index was sad for the voices of those who used the Level Upper, "This is how they feel everyday...their insecurities, hopelessness, and despair were too much for them to handle."

"People can only take so much before they no longer can. You put up a front on the outside, while you feel the complete opposite on the inside. You try and keep trying with no results...it tears at a person's self-esteem." Kamijō can relate because he's a Level 0 and sometimes feels like he's being judged because of his said level. But at the same time, he doesn't relate because he has an ability and can fight on equal grounds with a high level esper.

But now wasn't the time to berate himself. Now was the time to save those who used the Level Upper.

"Stand back now," Misaka said to Kiyama and Index, "You two might get hit."

"She's right, get to a safe distance Index." Kamijō said to her.

While Index was prepared to move out of the way, Kiyama felt different.

"What do I care? I'm responsible for creating that creature—!" Kiyama starts to rant.

"—Maybe you don't care, but what about the students you taught?" Misaka cut her off.

That shit Kiyama up.

"Once we save them, it's your face those kids are gonna want to see." Misaka said to her.

"I'll help you save those kids, and if I know Misaka, she'll also want to help you." Kamijō cuts in, "But the one thing I won't help you with is die."

"He's right, you shouldn't give up so easily, got it?" Misaka chides here lightly.

Kiyama was about to warn her of an oncoming attack, but there was no need to. Misaka created an electrical barrier that protected her workout even looking.

"We don't want you getting tangled up in that thing...that's our job!" Misaka reminds.

* * *

**[Only My Railgun] by fripside: Start**

* * *

Misaka shoots a large amount of electricity at the monster, creating a field.

_'Incredible! Is that the same kind of induction field she was using before? With power like her's...maybe this will work!'_ Kiyama said mentally.

Misaka decides to add more power, creating electrical heat around the monsters body, lasting it away a little. It was then that Kiyama realized that Misaka wasn't fighting her at full power before. But if she had...then Kiyama wouldn't be here right now.

The monster combined its tentacle into fists before sending it at Kamijō, who sent his own punch, completely obliterating the arm.

Kiyama was shocked when she saw this.

_'His power is just as amazing...what level is he?'_ She wondered.

The monster tries to use the same method again, against Mikoto this time.

"Forgive me." Misaka said softly as she cut the whole arm off.

_**"Anyone—"**_

_**"—Would want to be—"**_

_**"—An Esper."**_

"I should have realized so much sooner." Misaka continues to say.

Ice shards were sent their way.

_**"What's the use anymore?"**_

_**"I'll always be nothing."**_

_**"There's no point."**_

Both Misaka and Kamijō shatter the ice shards as they came their way.

"You were all trying so hard, weren't you?" Kamijō said with a smile.

"Doing your best and giving it your all." Misaka also smiles.

_**"I was so tired of not having any power. And finally, it didn't matter anymore what lengths I had to go to in order to get it."**_ Saten's voice confessed.

Misaka nods in understanding, "I understand."

Kamijō gathers energy into his right fist beige slamming it into the ground. A light shines from underneath the creature before it sends it into the air, "Everyone has a moment of weakness...and sometimes you can't help prey to it. It's human nature. But...don't give up! When you feel like you can't give anymore, push past your limits and keep trying!"

Misaka smiles, "That's right, this doesn't have to be it, keep trying." She tosses a coin in the air, "Don't don't let yourself be defeated...you are not defective. There's nothing wrong with you."

_"So...don't give up!"_ Both Kamijō and Misaka encourage.

Misaka flicks the coin at the creature's center as it was still in the air. The railgun went through the stomach and pierced the AIM Diffusion field, shattering it to pieces on impact.

Index stood there and cheered for both Kamijō and Misaka. Kiyama was on the ground as witnessed the sheer power of a Level 5.

"So this is it...that's a Level 5."

Uiharu, Enshū, Yomikawa, and Tessō was that it was finally over.

"They...did it…" Uiharu said, falling backwards. Luckily, Enshū was able to catch her. Smiling, she looked down at where her brother and Misaka were.

_'You did it, onii-chan.'_ As for her thoughts on Misaka, Enshū can admit that the girl had gone up half a point in her opinion.

But only half a point.

Back down below, Kamijō walls over to Kiyama-sensei and leans down, "Kiyama-sensei, I promise you we will find a way to save your students. We won't give up until we find a way, so make sure you don't give up either."

Seeing the serious and determined look in his eyes, she closes her eyes with a smile.

"I have a feeling that if it's you...they will be saved." After seeing what he can do, she has no doubt that he will be able to save her students.

* * *

**[Only My Railgun] by fripside: End**

* * *

In the end, Kiyama was arrested. This outcome didn't surprise anyone, of course, but Index and Uiharu were sad to see her being taken into custody. She went willingly and didn't try to escape, before she was hauled inside the van, she turned to Misaka and told her something.

"I have no intention of giving up, I'll just have to try again. It doesn't matter whether I'm in a laboratory or a prison cell. They can lock me up, but they can't stop me from planning." Kiyama said.

At her words, they all smiled.

"However, I'm still not going to be choosy about my methods. If you don't like the plan I come up with, you'll just have to come and stop me again." Kiyama said with a smile.

Misaka made a face.

Index couldn't take it anymore and hugged the woman, surprising her, "They don't have to take you away, if you apologize then they'll have to let you go!"

Kiyama appreciated what the little nun was trying to do, but she has to face the consequences of her actions. She awkwardly hugs the girl back.

"Thank you for your kind words from before, I really appreciate it." Kiyama softly said.

Index was still sad to see her go, but reluctantly released her from the hug. Enshū was the next person to give her a hug, she then leans in and whispers something in the woman's ear. Kiyama's widen for a second before she's released from the hug and the girl goes back over to her brother.

Kamijō was the last person to say goodbye, "See you soon, Kiyama-sensei."

Kiyama smiles at the boy, "Yeah...see you soon." Finally, she stepped into the van and it drove off.

"Good grief, she'll never learn." Misaka said this with a smile. A car came up, but it was a normal transport car.

"That's for us, time to go." Kamijō said with a sigh, "We're all gonna eat good tonight."

"Really?! What are we going to eat?!" Index's eyes sparkled in anticipation.

"Whatever you wanna eat." He said.

"Yay!" Index cheered

"Oh, Kamijō-san! I just wanted to thank you for everything you did today." Uiharu thanked him, "You too, Enshū!"

Enshū smiles at Uiharu, before giving the girl a hug. This took the girl by surprise, but she didn't hesitate to hug her back.

Kamijō was happy to see his sister take a liking to other people who she feels are good people at heart. He watched as his sister looks at Misaka before giving her a dry look and walking away. Misaka gawks at her for the action, of course.

"Bye Uiharu, Short Hair!" Index waves goodbye to them.

"Why am I the only one with a nickname?!" Misaka exclaimed.

Uiharu nervously laughs.

Kamijō turns around to leave, "See ya, Biri Biri."

"I told you my name isn't "Biri Biri," it's Mikoto Misaka!" Misaka yells at his back, but he was already in the car. As she stood there huffing in annoyance she remembered something.

_"Misaka!"_

_'I'm not imagining it, right? I'm pretty sure I heard him call out my name that time.'_ Misaka wonders if she heard right.

As the car drove off Kamijō stared out the window, as they drove past the scene he saw a woman there that gave him a bad feeling. It was the same feeling he felt when he got kidnapped by a member of the Kihara family after they found out about his ability.

Time seem to slow down as they finally go by her. His eyes never left her figure as they drove through, only leaving when passing by her.

She's dangerous.

If there was one thing he could trust, it was his instincts, and he knows a dangerous person when he sees one. A thump on his right shoulder showed his sleeping sisters face, and sleeping on her was Index. Smiling, he looks back out the window as the sun finally begins to set. The orange hue expressed a calming atmosphere compared to before.

"Never a dull moment." He mutters.

Not in this city.

* * *

**_Preview_**

_"A planned meeting filled with laughter._

_Mysterious eyes watch from the shadows, lying in wait."_

_"Next Time...+Save The First Date+"_

_"When science and magic cross paths...a story is born."_

* * *

**Author's Note: I want to get to the Sister's Arc before moving on to update other stories on both here and AO3.**


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